JAKARTA: President Prabowo Subianto has kicked off his state visit to France, seeking to elevate Indonesia-France relations as well as intensify cooperation in defense and renewable energy amid a volatile global landscape.
The President landed at Paris Orly Airport at 10am on Tuesday (May 26), according to a release from the Presidential Secretariat, where he was received by France’s honour guard and Labor and Solidarity Minister Jean-Pierre Farandou.
A series of engagements has been lined up for Prabowo’s visit, Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said, emphasising a focus on regional cooperation amid an increasingly unpredictable international landscape.
“Indonesia has an array of significantly strategic partnerships with France, and this state visit is expected to further strengthen Indonesia’s position in Europe,” Teddy said in a statement.
“Indonesia is one of the main gateways for European relations to Asia, while France is an important gateway to relations between Asia – especially Southeast Asia – and the European region,” he added.
Prabowo is scheduled to meet French President Emmanuel Macron during his visit, with discussions set to focus on strengthening cooperation across sectors including defence, renewable energy, critical minerals, education, science and innovation, according to a Foreign Ministry statement as reported by Kompas.com.
“The two presidents will [also] announce a shared intention to elevate bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, reflecting the growing importance of Indonesia and France to one another amid global uncertainty,” the statement said.
Indonesia in recent years has deepened its ties with France, with defense cooperation taking the lead as Jakarta turned to French systems such as Rafale fighter jets and Scorpene-class submarines to modernize its aging military equipment.
While initially focused largely on security cooperation, the relationship has broadened more recently, with Jakarta and Paris now seeking partnerships beyond procurement in other key strategic areas, particularly amid major global supply chain disruptions caused by the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Last month, following an earlier trip to Russia, Prabowo flew from Moscow to Paris for a two-hour work lunch with Macron focused on energy and economic cooperation, as Jakarta sought to secure alternative supplies to mitigate disruptions caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Macron at the time renewed his invitation for Prabowo to make a state visit, as a reciprocal gesture following his own trip to Jakarta last year, Foreign Minister Sugiono said in a video statement from New York on Tuesday.
“The visit was initially expected to take place in April, but the timing did not work out. During the President’s subsequent visit to Paris, the two leaders met again, during which President Macron renewed the invitation and proposed the current dates,” Sugiono said.
With his France trip coinciding with the Idul Adha Islamic holiday, Prabowo on Wednesday morning visited the Indonesian embassy in Paris and joined the mass prayers alongside Indonesian diaspora.
As of 7pm Jakarta time, there have been no statements on the schedule of Prabowo’s meeting with Macron.
The French Embassy in Jakarta declined to comment on Prabowo’s visit to France or provide further details when asked by The Jakarta Post. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
