Prabowo scheduled to revisit France

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Foreign Minister Sugiono has revealed that President Prabowo Subianto will soon undertake another state visit to France as part of efforts to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries.

“There are also plans for a state visit by President Prabowo to France, to be held in the near future,” Sugiono said during a press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday.

He explained that President Prabowo had visited Paris on 14 April to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron in a closed-door meeting.

In that meeting, the two leaders discussed strengthening bilateral relations and increasing cooperation in various sectors deemed necessary for intensification.

Sugiono noted that one area of cooperation is the defence industry sector, given Indonesia’s purchases of major weapon system equipment (alutsista) from France.

“Thus, what occurs is a cooperation ‘beyond procurement’—we do not stop at just buying, but also engage in technology transfer and mastery of the technology for the items we purchase,” said Sugiono.

He added that cooperation between the two countries also covers the energy sector, utilisation of critical minerals, creative economy, infrastructure, and transportation.

Personal relations

According to Sugiono, the personal relationship between President Prabowo and President Macron serves as one of the assets in strengthening bilateral relations between Indonesia and France.

He also stated that France is a strategic partner for Indonesia, so the enhancement of the partnership currently under discussion is expected to expand the scope of cooperation to be broader and more strategic.

Data shows that Prabowo has made three visits to France while serving as President of Indonesia.

The two previous meetings took place on 14 July 2025 to attend the French National Day Military Parade (Bastille Day) and on 23 January 2026 to strengthen strategic cooperation between Indonesia and France.