Prabowo Travels to France for State Visit, Teddy Confirms Invitation Extended Last Year

President Prabowo Subianto arrived in Paris on Tuesday, 26 May 2026, landing at Orly Airport in the French Republic at approximately 09:50 local time. Cabinet Secretary Lieutenant Colonel TNI Teddy Indra Wijaya stated that the President’s arrival marked the start of his official state visit to France. ‘The invitation was scheduled last year and had undergone several reschedulings,’ Teddy said in a written statement on Tuesday. Citing the Presidential Secretariat’s press release, Prabowo was greeted at the airport by France’s Minister of Labour and Solidarity, Jean-Pierre Farandou, and an honour guard. Additionally, hundreds of Indonesian citizens had gathered at his hotel since morning to welcome his arrival. Teddy stated that the visit aims to strengthen bilateral ties between Indonesia and France. ‘Indonesia currently has numerous super-strategic collaborations with France, and this state visit is expected to further bolster Indonesia’s position in Europe, particularly in France,’ he said. Teddy claimed that Indonesia and France have complementary roles in the global context. ‘Indonesia serves as a key gateway between Europe and Asia, while France is a crucial gateway for Asian, particularly Southeast Asian, relations with Europe,’ he added. The President’s visit to France was previously confirmed by Deputy Minister of the State Secretariat Juri Ardiantoro, who addressed queries about the President’s schedule for Eid al-Adha 1447 Hijriyah, falling on Wednesday, 27 May 2026. According to Juri, the President departed for abroad on Monday night, 25 May 2026. ‘The President left for an overseas working visit to France last night,’ Juri stated at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday, 26 May 2026. During his 19-month tenure, Prabowo Subianto has made four official visits to France. According to Tempo, he visited France in mid-July 2025, attending the 2025 Bastille Day military parade at Place de la Concorde in Paris as an honoured guest. Earlier this year, in January 2026, Prabowo made a brief visit of less than five hours to France following a series of trips to the UK and Switzerland as Gerindra Party chairman. Prabowo and French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly held a 2.5-hour discussion preceded by dinner, covering global issues and France’s role as host of the G7 summit. Most recently, Prabowo visited the Élysée Palace in Paris on Tuesday afternoon, 14 April 2026 local time, for a meeting with Macron, which he shared via his official Instagram account @presidenrepublikindonesia.