Prabowo Receives Qatar's Defence Minister at Merdeka Palace

President Prabowo Subianto received Qatar’s State Minister for Defence, Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan bin Ali Al Thani, at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta. Sheikh Saoud, who also serves as Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister, visited the palace on Monday, 1 June 2026.

Sheikh Saoud was greeted personally by President Prabowo. ‘Sheikh Saoud conveyed a special message from Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, to President Prabowo,’ according to the Presidential Secretariat’s statement.

During the meeting, both leaders discussed several issues, particularly Indonesia-Qatar cooperation across various sectors. Previously, in April 2025, President Prabowo and the Emir of Qatar witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) titled ‘Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Dialogue between the Governments of Indonesia and the State of Qatar’.

The strategic dialogue aims to foster more intensive cooperation in various fields, including international and regional politics, defence and security, counter-terrorism, economics—particularly trade and investment—cultural exchanges, and strengthening community ties.

Prabowo received Sheikh Saoud on Monday afternoon. Earlier that morning, the President presided over the Pancasila Day commemoration ceremony held at the Pancasila Building Field, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jalan Taman Pejambon, Jakarta.

President Prabowo served as the ceremony’s inspector. The 2026 Pancasila Day theme was ‘Pancasila: Unifier of the Nation, Foundation of World Peace’. The theme underscores Pancasila’s relevance in maintaining national unity and as a response to achieving global peace.

During his speech, Prabowo emphasised that Pancasila serves as a guiding principle for Indonesians amid a fragmented world due to conflicts, geopolitical rivalries, trade wars, and global economic uncertainty.

‘Amid a world increasingly divided by disputes, geopolitical rivalries, trade wars, and economic uncertainty, Indonesia has a firm foundation—Pancasila,’ Prabowo stated.