Foreign Minister: President Prabowo's Visits Bring Tangible Benefits to Indonesia

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Foreign Minister, Sugiono, has emphasised that President Prabowo Subianto’s series of international visits over the past 1.5 years are intended to engage with the world and bring tangible benefits to the Indonesian people.

“Constitutionally, it is stated that Indonesia is part of international relations and part of the global community. This demands a presence on the international stage,” said Sugiono, following a bilateral meeting with Madagascar’s Foreign Minister, Alice N’Diaye, at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs complex in Jakarta on Wednesday.

He noted that these international visits are part of Indonesia’s effort to engage all nations as friends, echoing President Prabowo’s sentiment that “a thousand friends are too few, and one enemy is too many”. Driven by this principle, President Prabowo believes Indonesia must be present in various global arenas to interact and build friendships with all international partners.

Sugiono asserted that all of the President’s state visits are well-planned and have undergone mature diplomatic discussions, including input from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Indonesia is a nation that wishes to be involved in efforts for world peace and order, and thus proactively offers itself to act as a bridge,” Sugiono added.

Regarding criticisms of Prabowo’s overseas visits raised by Dino Patti Djalal, the former Deputy Foreign Minister and founder of the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI), Sugiono welcomed the feedback as a constructive step. “All suggestions and criticisms for improvement are good, provided they are constructive,” he stated.

However, he reminded that all criticisms and input must be based on accurate facts and data. Addressing suggestions regarding the optimisation of online interactions, Sugiono argued that face-to-face meetings with international partners can further facilitate dialogue. “When meeting in person, we can observe body language and establish personal rapport. From there, we can discuss much more,” he said.

Previously, Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya emphasised on Monday (1/6) that President Prabowo’s visits over the last 1.5 years have yielded concrete results across various sectors. In addition to securing investments worth Rp2,430 trillion, the President’s visits have also successfully brought in various defence equipment through cooperation with international partners and ensured the construction of the Indonesian Hajj Village in Saudi Arabia.