President Prabowo, Malaysian PM: Old Friends, Strategic Partners

President Prabowo welcomes Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during his official visit to Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Friday (06/27). (Photo by: BPMI of Presidential Secretariat)

President Prabowo Subianto Friday (06/27) welcomed Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during his official visit to Merdeka Palace in Jakarta.

The leaders’ meeting reflected their close friendship and commitment to strengthening bilateral relations between the two neighboring countries across various strategic sectors.

“Today, I am very pleased and happy to welcome the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, to Jakarta. Mr. Anwar Ibrahim is not only a good friend of mine, but also a good friend of all the people of Indonesia,” President Prabowo said in a joint press statement with PM Anwar following the meeting.

The President said that the visit demonstrates a shared commitment to continuously strengthen cross-sector cooperation, adding that it is part of a series of events leading up to the annual bilateral meeting scheduled for July.

“We have an annual meeting that we will convene next July, so we hope that we will be able to resolve the technical problems by then,” he said.

Meanwhile, PM Anwar expressed his thanks for the warm welcome from President Prabowo, adding that the meeting was initially planned as an unofficial visit.

“Once again, thank you, and I appreciate the extraordinary welcome. It was actually an unofficial meeting to discuss various current bilateral issues before we convene a more official one at the end of the month,” he said while underscoring that his close friendship with President Prabowo began a long time ago, serving as a strong foundation for Indonesia-Malaysia relations.

“That is my friendship with Mr. Prabowo. Each of us has been working to strengthen our friendship and show loyalty for almost half a century. On my own behalf and on behalf of my family, I would like to express my deepest appreciation,” he remarked. (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat) (DH/MMB)