Indonesian President Subianto arrives in Islamabad on 2-day maiden visit

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto arrived in Islamabad on Monday on a two-day official visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

According to state broadcaster PTV News, the Indonesian president was received by PM Shehbaz and President Asif Ali Zardari upon his arrival at the Nur Khan airbase.

Earlier, state-run Radio Pakistan reported that Subianto will be accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising key ministers and senior officials.

Yesterday, the Foreign Office (FO) said the Indonesian leader would be in Pakistan from December 8-9 to discuss a “wide-ranging agenda” with Pakistani leaders aimed at strengthening bilateral ties and “exploring new avenues of cooperation”.

According to the FO, this is the president’s first visit to Pakistan, as the last presidential visit was by ex-president Joko Widodo in 2018.

The FO also said that the visit carried added significance as it coincided with the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Indonesia.

The statement said that during his stay, President Prabowo will hold delegation-level talks with PM Shehbaz and meet President Asif Ali Zardari. Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir will also call on Prabowo, it added.

Talks are expected to cover advancing bilateral cooperation in “trade, investment, defence, health, IT, climate, education and culture, as well as enhancing collaboration at regional and global levels”. The statement also said that several memoranda of understanding are expected to be signed during the visit.

Pakistan and Indonesia maintain strong bilateral relations rooted in shared religion and culture, with both countries cooperating in trade, education, and health.

In July, Indonesia’s Defence Minister Lt Gen (retired) Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin met with Shehbaz in Islamabad, where he expressed his country’s desire to boost defence ties with Pakistan and explore areas for possible collaboration, particularly in defence production.

In June, the two countries decided to increase cooperation in areas such as vaccine production in Pakistan, the establishment of medical institutions in Indonesia, pharmaceutical development and human resource exchange.