November 25, 2024
JAKARTA – President Prabowo Subianto arrived in Indonesia from Abu Dhabi on Sunday, concluding his first overseas trip as president, a two-week journey that involved visits to six countries.
In Abu Dhabi, Prabowo met with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, popularly known as MBZ, on Saturday, during which he invited the UAE to collaborate on the food and energy self-sufficiency agenda and downstream development.
“My priority in leading the administration is to ensure food and energy security and [to focus] on downstream industry so that Indonesia can maximize its added value,” Prabowo said on Saturday, as quoted from a statement published by his office.
“We can work together in several sectors, and we would like to invite the UAE to participate in [developing] our economy,” he added.
On Saturday afternoon, Prabowo wrapped up his visit to the UAE and flew back to Indonesia.
The presidential airplane carrying Prabowo landed early on Sunday morning at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta, where the President was welcomed by Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka and several cabinet ministers.
Before Abu Dhabi, Prabowo visited London, where he was received by United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer at 10 Downing Street. The two leaders discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties.
While in London, Prabowo also met with representatives of British companies, during which they revealed a commitment to investing a collective US$8.5 billion in Indonesia, according to Prabowo’s office. The areas of investment included energy transition, infrastructure, education and health care, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said in the same statement, without providing further details.
UK-based oil giant BP announced a $7 billion joint project on Thursday that would unlock around 3 trillion cubic feet of additional gas resources at its Tangguh liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in West Papua’s Bintuni Bay regency.
It remains unclear whether the BP project was part of the total investment commitment Prabowo’s office announced.
Prabowo embarked on his inaugural foreign trip on Nov. 8, with China as the first stop. He met with President Xi Jinping at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, where the two leaders reaffirmed the long-standing ties between the two nations and expressed their commitment to deepening them.
In China, Prabowo also attended the Indonesia-China Business Forum, which saw the signing of business agreements between the Indonesia and Chinese private sectors said to be worth some US$10 billion.
Following Prabowo’s meeting with Xi, Indonesia and China stated they had reached a common understanding “on joint development in areas of overlapping claims”. That wording raised concerns in Indonesia, with analysts warning it could signal a shift from Jakarta’s non-claimant stance in the South China Sea and jeopardize its exclusive resource rights.
After China, Prabowo jetted off to Washington, DC, where he met with United States President Joe Biden. The two leaders underscored their “unwavering support” for upholding freedom of navigation and “respect for sovereign rights and jurisdiction” in their talks on the South China Sea, in a move that appeared to negate the previous statement with China.
A day before his meeting with Biden, Prabowo posted on his social media account a video of his phone call with US president-elect Donald Trump, saying that he was willing to meet the president-elect in person amid an ongoing effort to solidify his American rapport.
During his maiden overseas visit, Prabowo also traveled to Peru for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit and Brazil for the Group of 20 Summit, which was overshadowed by the prospect of a world embroiled in trade wars under Trump.