Megawati Visits Timor Leste to Receive Highest Honour

Megawati Soekarnoputri, the fifth President of the Republic of Indonesia and General Chairperson of PDIP (PDI Perjuangan), has made an official visit to Timor-Leste. Megawati is scheduled to receive the country’s highest honour in recognition of her services in fostering reconciliation between Indonesia and Timor-Leste.

Megawati’s delegation landed at Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport in Dili on Wednesday (8/7/2026) at 16.10 local time. The Director General of Protocol Affairs at Timor-Leste’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Josefina Tilman, welcomed and accompanied Megawati upon her arrival at the airport.

Alongside Josefina, also present were Timor-Leste’s Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Tourism and the Environment, Francisco Kalbuadi Lay, as well as the Chargé d’Affaires ad Interim of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia to Timor-Leste, Mardiana Warnares.

Megawati was greeted with a red carpet ceremony, escorted by the traditional Moradores guard from the Military Liaison Office (Casa Militar) of the Timor-Leste Presidency. On this visit, Megawati was accompanied by family members, including Puti Guntur Soekarnoputri and Romy Soekarno, as well as senior party figures such as PDIP Secretary-General Hasto Kristiyanto and PDIP Executive Board Chairperson Bintang Puspayoga.

Megawati then walked towards the line of dignitaries awaiting her, including the President of the Republic of Timor-Leste, J. Ramos Horta, Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Bendito dos Santos Freitas, and Chief of Presidential Staff Henriqueta M. da Silva.

From the Indonesian side, several senior PDIP figures formed part of the welcoming delegation, including PDIP Executive Board Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of Commission XIII of the House of Representatives Andreas H. Pareira, PDIP Executive Board Chairperson for Foreign Affairs Ahmad Basarah, and Head of the Party’s Centre for Policy Research and Analysis Andi Widjajanto. After shaking hands with Timor-Leste’s leaders, Megawati greeted the local dancers who warmly welcomed her.

The festive atmosphere was felt not only within the airport grounds but also along the roads outside the airport complex. As the delegation’s motorcade began moving towards the accommodation, thousands of schoolchildren were seen lined up along the route.

The students waved the flags of both nations as a mark of respect and warm welcome from Timor-Leste’s younger generation. Megawati’s state visit is scheduled to run until 10 July 2026.

The main agenda of the visit is the conferral of Timor-Leste’s highest honour, the Grand Collar of Timor-Leste, by President Jose Ramos Horta in recognition of Megawati’s great contributions to advancing bilateral relations and reconciliation between the two countries. During her stay, Megawati is also scheduled to hold special bilateral meetings with President Jose Ramos Horta and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, and to make pilgrimages to several historic sites.

“Mrs Megawati is receiving this honour for her service in opening the roadmap towards reconciliation between Indonesia and Timor-Leste, when on 20 May 2002, as President of the Republic of Indonesia, she visited Timor-Leste to attend the commemoration of Timor-Leste’s independence day,” said PDIP Secretary-General Hasto Kristiyanto in a written statement.