An official press release published on the website of The President of The Republic of Indonesia announced that Prabowo Subianto received an official visit from the Prime Minister (PM) of the Republic of Singapore, Lawrence Wong, at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, on Wednesday (6/11/24,) the first official visit received by President Prabowo since being inaugurated on October 20, 2024.
PM Wong arrived at the Merdeka Palace yard at around 10:00 WIB, accompanied by the archipelago troops, cavalry, and a marching band that greeted him from the National Monument (Monas) yard to the Merdeka Palace. At the entrance to the Merdeka Palace yard, PM Wong was also greeted enthusiastically by students wearing traditional clothes from various regions in Indonesia and carrying Indonesian and Singaporean flags.
Meanwhile, President Prabowo welcomed PM Wong directly at the west veranda of the Merdeka Palace. Smiles and warm greetings began the visit, accompanied by the familiarity that radiated between the two leaders.
The official visit of the Singapore PM was then filled with a series of state processions that began with the national anthems of both countries, accompanied by 19 cannon shots. After the national anthem, President Prabowo and PM Wong inspected troops in the courtyard of the Merdeka Palace, which added to the solemn atmosphere of the event.
Afterwards, the two leaders introduced their respective countries’ delegations, followed by a group photo session and the signing of the guest book by PM Wong in the credentials room of the Merdeka Palace. The procession then continued with a one-on-one discussion or tete-a-tete in President Prabowo’s office, where the two leaders had in-depth discussions on bilateral strategic issues.
After the tete-a-tete , the two leaders held a bilateral meeting in the Jepara room of the Merdeka Palace which was attended by relevant ministers from both countries. After the bilateral meeting, President Prabowo and PM Wong held a joint press statement in which they expressed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries.
The official visit ended with a luncheon at the Merdeka Palace, which served a variety of typical Indonesian dishes as a form of respect for the state guest.
Also present to accompany President Prabowo at this event were Minister of Foreign Affairs Sugiono, Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, Minister of Defense Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Minister of Manpower Yassierli, Minister of Trade Budi Santoso, Minister of Communication and Digital Meutya Hafid, Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the Republic of Singapore Suryo Pratomo, and Director General of Asia Africa of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Abdul Kadir Jailani.
Meanwhile, accompanying PM Wong on this official visit were Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Trade and Industry Tan See Leng, Minister of State for Digital Development and Information and Minister for Health Rahayu Mahzam, Ambassador of the Republic of Singapore to the Republic of Indonesia Kwok Fook Seng, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Albert Chua, Private Secretary to the PM Lin Qinghui, Director-General for Southeast Asia I Heng Aik Yeow, and Country Officer Megan Koh.
Source: The President of The Republic of Indonesia website, BPMI Presidential Secretariat
Photo: BPMI Setpres/Muchlis Jr
