Jakarta – The Minister of Defense of Indonesia and President-elect for the term 2024-2029, Prabowo Subianto, recently completed an official tour of Europe from July 24 to 31, 2024.
During his trip, Prabowo held meetings with leaders from four countries: French President Emmanuel Macron, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Prabowo was warmly welcomed upon his arrival in each of the friendly nations and bid farewell by the respective leaders.
His first stop was at the Elysee Palace on Wednesday, July 24, where he was greeted by French President Emmanuel Macron. The two leaders discussed global security issues and plans to enhance defense cooperation, focusing on modernizing defense equipment, developing the defense industry, and improving education, training, and dialogue forums.
In France, Prabowo also attended the opening of the Paris 2024 Olympics on July 27, representing President Joko Widodo. He met with FIFA President Gianni Infantino to discuss Indonesia’s football development efforts and with International Olympics Committee President Thomas Bach to explore the possibility of Indonesia hosting the 2036 Olympics.
After France, Prabowo traveled to Serbia on July 29 to meet with President Aleksandar Vucic. The meeting aimed to strengthen political dialogue and promote economic cooperation between the two countries. Vucic expressed enthusiasm for further cooperation and friendship between Serbia and Indonesia.
Next, Prabowo visited Turkey on the same day to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. They discussed bilateral relations and commitments in defense, aiming to enhance the capabilities of their armed forces and defense industries. Prabowo also visited the Ozdemir Bayraktar National Technology Center in Istanbul to learn about defense technology development.
The final stop of Prabowo’s European tour was in Russia, where he met with President Vladimir Putin on July 31. They discussed strengthening cooperation in various fields, including education, tourism, food security, and defense. Prabowo emphasized the importance of food security, energy security, and education in their discussions, as well as potential collaborations in nuclear energy and support for Russian initiatives in tourism.
Prabowo also invited Russia to participate in a defense exhibition scheduled to take place in Indonesia in November 2024.
