Belarusian President Stays at State Palace During Jakarta Visit

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is staying at the State Palace in Jakarta during his visit to Indonesia. Lukashenko has been in the capital since Wednesday, 1 July 2026. Foreign Minister Sugiono stated that staying at the presidential palace was Lukashenko’s own request. He said the Indonesian government fulfilled the request as a form of respect for the President. Other heads of state, Sugiono noted, usually prefer to stay in hotels. ‘This time he wished to stay at the palace,’ Sugiono said at the palace on Thursday, 2 July 2026. According to Sugiono, Lukashenko was initially scheduled to stay at Wisma Negara, which is within the presidential palace complex. However, President Prabowo Subianto requested that accommodation be prepared at the State Palace for the Belarusian President. ‘Originally it was to be at Wisma Negara, but the President considered the State Palace to be more representative,’ said the Gerindra Party politician. Sugiono stated that Lukashenko’s visit is a reciprocal visit for Prabowo’s trip to Belarus on 15 July 2025. ‘This visit is President Lukashenko’s second visit after his first visit to Indonesia in 2013,’ he said. Lukashenko was officially received by Prabowo at a state ceremony at Merdeka Palace on Thursday, 2 July 2026. Lukashenko was accompanied by a delegation that included his two sons, Dmitry Lukashenko and Nikolai Lukashenko. President Prabowo and President Lukashenko will launch a bilateral relationship roadmap covering various sectors between Indonesia and Belarus during the meeting in Jakarta. Sugiono said the cooperation includes the fields of food security, energy security, and discussions on the Indonesia-Eurasian Economic Union Free Trade Agreement. Lukashenko arrived in Jakarta on Wednesday, 1 July 2026. He was welcomed by Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base in East Jakarta. President Prabowo previously visited the capital of Belarus, Minsk, on 15 July 2025. During that visit, Prabowo also visited President Lukashenko’s residence in Ozyorny, outside Minsk. Their meeting last year lasted nearly three hours. President Prabowo became the second head of state after Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit President Lukashenko’s home following its renovation. ‘After this house was restored, you are the second guest after President Putin. Previously, even before the renovation, President Xi Jinping also visited here with his family,’ Lukashenko said when welcoming President Prabowo. The two leaders discussed various strategic issues, including trade cooperation opportunities, commodities, and fertiliser supply. President Prabowo expressed his gratitude for the warm reception and invited President Lukashenko to visit Indonesia in the near future. ‘Thank you, Your Excellency. It is a great honour for me to be received in your home. I also hope Your Excellency can visit Indonesia soon,’ Prabowo said at the time.