Jakarta — Indonesian Defense Minister and President-elect Prabowo Subianto completed a whirlwind visit to five Southeast Asian countries in just three days, meeting with national leaders to strengthen bilateral relations and discuss strategic issues.
The first stop on Prabowo’s tour was Brunei Darussalam, where he met Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah at Istana Nurul Iman on Thursday, September 5. The discussion focused on defense cooperation and education, with Prabowo inviting Bruneian military officers to enroll in master’s programs at the Republic of Indonesia Defence University (RIDU).
“We are pleased to invite officers from the Brunei Armed Forces to apply for the master’s programs offered at RIDU,” said Prabowo.
After his Brunei visit, Prabowo departed from Brunei International Airport at 14:27 local time, arriving in Laos at 17:38. There, he met with Laos President Thongloun Sisoulith and Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone on Friday, September 6, to discuss mutual benefits in defense and regional stability within ASEAN.
From Laos, Prabowo flew to Cambodia, arriving at 12:40. He met with Senate President Hun Sen and Prime Minister Hun Manet. Prabowo emphasized the importance of exploring new collaboration opportunities to ensure strong and responsive defense partnerships.
Following his meetings in Cambodia, Prabowo traveled to Thailand, arriving at 18:27 local time. In Bangkok, he attended a dinner hosted by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, along with his daughter and newly elected Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra. Prabowo expressed his appreciation for the friendship between their families.
On the final leg of his tour, Prabowo flew to Malaysia, arriving at 11:06 local time on Saturday, September 7. His first meeting was with Sultan Ibrahim at the Istana Negara, where they discussed defense cooperation and other strategic matters. Prabowo highlighted the strong relationship between the two countries and expressed a desire to further strengthen it.
“I value the strong relationship between our two nations and will continue to work on enhancing cooperation, especially in defense,” Prabowo remarked.
Prabowo’s visit to Malaysia concluded with a meeting with his close friend, Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, where the two discussed bilateral defense cooperation and regional relations.
“Thank you for today’s constructive discussion. I reiterate the commitment of Indonesia’s Ministry of Defense to create a harmonious and mutually beneficial bilateral defense relationship between our two countries,” said Prabowo.
After completing his visits to the five Southeast Asian countries, Prabowo returned to Indonesia on Saturday evening, arriving at 20:20 WIB. (RR)