President Prabowo Welcomes Brazilian President Lula da Silva at Merdeka Palace
President Prabowo Subianto, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and First Lady Rosangela (Janja) Lula da Silva at the welcoming ceremony, Thursday (10/23). (Photo by: BPMI of Presidential Secretariat)
President Prabowo Subianto, Thursday (10/23), officially welcomed the President of the Federative Republic of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and First Lady Rosângela (Janja) Lula da Silva at the Merdeka Palace, Central Jakarta.
To welcome the Brazilian President, the route from the National Monument area to the Merdeka Palace courtyard was adorned with vibrant colors and festive decorations. Seventeen motorcycle escorts, guards of honor, and 120 cavalry troops accompanied the official motorcade transporting President Lula da Silva and First Lady Janja da Silva to the palace. In addition, around two thousand students lined the streets, waving Indonesian and Brazilian flags to greet the visiting delegation.
President Prabowo personally welcomed President Lula da Silva and First Lady Janja da Silva on the west side of the Merdeka Palace. The two leaders exchanged a warm embrace and a firm handshake before proceeding to the front veranda of the palace to listen to the national anthems of both countries, followed by an inspection of the honor guard.
The ceremony continued with a photo session and the signing of the state guest book in the credential room. President Prabowo and President Lula then held a tête-à-tête meeting in President Prabowo’s office.
“Your Excellency, once again, thank you very much for the great honor of visiting Indonesia. I truly appreciate it. I remember your kind hospitality during my visit to Brasília, as well as our meeting at the BRICS Summit in Rio. It is a great pleasure to meet you again,” President Prabowo said in his welcoming remarks.
The agenda proceeded with a bilateral meeting between the two delegations over a working lunch in the Oval Room of the Merdeka Palace. Before concluding with a joint press statement, President Prabowo and President Lula da Silva witnessed the signing and exchange of several memoranda of understanding (MoUs), showing a new chapter in Indonesia–Brazil relations.
Also accompanying President Prabowo during the welcoming ceremony were Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan, Minister of Foreign Affairs Sugiono, Minister of Defense Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, Minister of Trade Budi Santoso, Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman, Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Brian Yuliarto, Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni, Minister of Environment and Head of the Environmental Protection Agency Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia, and Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya. (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat) (GWH/TM)
