KUALA LUMPUR: His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, has conferred the Darjah Kerabat Johor Yang Amat Dihormati Pangkat Pertama (DK 1) on Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.
In a post on the King’s official Facebook page, the investiture of the order was held at Istana Negara and was witnessed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“His Excellency President Prabowo is a close friend of His Majesty, whom he has known for over 40 years, since their military training days in the United States in the 1980s,” the post read.
Prabowo was in Malaysia for a state visit at the invitation of Sultan Ibrahim and was accorded a full state welcome at Istana Negara.
The visit is the first state visit by a foreign Head of State since the installation of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim as King of Malaysia, Bernama reported.
It was also Prabowo’s first state visit to a South-East Asian country since his inauguration as President of Indonesia on Oct 20 last year.
Meanwhile, Prabowo expressed gratitude to Sultan Ibrahim for the award, saying the conferment of the order symbolises the close relationship between him and the King, as well as the entire Johor royal family.
“Our relationship goes back a long way. I may have known His Majesty for 45 years now, ever since we were both young and attending school in the United States,” he said.
Prabowo said the people of Malaysia and Indonesia share many similarities, which have been the pillars of strength in the relationship between the two neighbouring countries.
“Malaysia and Indonesia have common interests; we are the founding members of Asean. We share a strong historical, cultural and ethnic bond, hence making our relationship special,” he said.
