Prabowo Surprised by Pen Gift from Belarus President After Signing Guest Book

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto appeared surprised when he was given a pen by Belarusian President Alexandr Lukashenko after the state guest book signing ceremony at Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Thursday. As seen in a live broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat’s YouTube channel, the moment occurred after Lukashenko signed the guest book in the Credential Room. The pen he used to write was then handed to Prabowo. Prabowo looked slightly taken aback, then accepted it and placed the black and gold pen in his suit pocket. The two leaders then shook hands and participated in a photo session as a symbol of friendship between Indonesia and Belarus. The guest book signing and photo session took place after the two leaders introduced their respective delegations. Earlier, Prabowo introduced the Indonesian delegation accompanying him, including Foreign Minister Sugiono, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, and Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin. Also present were Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia, Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, Minister of Culture Fadli Zon, Minister of Investment and Downstreaming Rosan Roeslani, Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman, and Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya. Lukashenko then introduced the Belarusian delegation, which included his two sons, Dmitry Lukashenko and Nikolai Lukashenko, Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Karankevich, Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov, First Deputy Chairman of the National Bank Board Alexandr Yegorov, and Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences Uladzimir Karanik. Following the welcoming ceremony, Prabowo and Lukashenko held a tête-à-tête meeting in the President’s office. One of the agendas of President Lukashenko’s state visit is the launch of the ‘Road Map for Bilateral Cooperation 2026–2030’ as a framework for strengthening cooperation between the two countries in the fields of economy, agriculture, food security, culture, and science and technology. Belarus is one of Indonesia’s important partners in the Eurasian region and a key member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). Indonesia and the EAEU signed the Indonesia-EAEU free trade agreement in December 2025.