Belarus President Becomes First Head of State to Stay at the State Palace

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has made new history in diplomatic relations with Indonesia. During his state visit to Jakarta, Lukashenko became the first president to stay overnight at the State Palace, an honour never before granted to a foreign head of state. This was revealed by Foreign Minister Sugiono when responding to journalists’ questions regarding reports that President Lukashenko spent the night at the Presidential Palace Complex in Central Jakarta. “Staying at the State Palace,” Sugiono told reporters at the Merdeka Palace, Central Jakarta, on Thursday, 2 July 2026. Sugiono stressed that Lukashenko is the first head of state to have the opportunity to stay at the State Palace. Previously, state guests who stayed overnight within the Presidential Palace grounds only occupied the Wisma Negara. “The first president at the State Palace. At Wisma Negara, the last was Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen,” he said. According to Sugiono, President Prabowo Subianto’s decision to allow Lukashenko to stay at the State Palace was a form of special respect for the state guest. Initially, the government had prepared Wisma Negara as the accommodation, but President Prabowo decided to move the location to the State Palace as it was deemed more representative. “Yes, I think we are showing respect because usually during state visits, other presidents prefer to stay at a hotel. But this time he wished to stay at the palace. It was originally Wisma Negara, but the President considered the State Palace to be more representative,” he explained. Lukashenko’s visit is a reciprocal state visit after President Prabowo first made an official trip to Belarus, and it serves as a momentum to strengthen cooperation in various strategic sectors. President Prabowo was scheduled to receive Lukashenko in an official meeting at the Merdeka Palace, Central Jakarta, on Thursday, 2 July 2026. The agenda was the culmination of the Belarusian President’s state visit to Indonesia. Lukashenko arrived in Jakarta on Wednesday, 1 July 2026, via Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base. His arrival was welcomed by Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, representing President Prabowo Subianto. The Belarusian President also received an official welcome with a traditional dance upon disembarking from the aircraft before proceeding to the state vehicle.