President Prabowo Meets Old Friend Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles at Kertanegara

JAKARTA — President Prabowo Subianto received Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles, a longtime friend, at his residence in Kertanegara, South Jakarta, on Wednesday, 11 March 2026.

The Cabinet Secretary, Teddy Indra Wijaya, shared news of the meeting via the cabinet secretariat’s Instagram account @sekretariat.kabinet on Thursday, 12 March 2026.

“President Prabowo Subianto received his longtime friend, who is also Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister of Australia, Richard Marles, on Wednesday, 11 March 2026, at Kertanegara,” Teddy stated on Thursday.

According to Teddy, the meeting affirmed the close personal relationship between the two leaders. “They engaged in cordial conversation and exchanged views on important issues, and this meeting symbolises the closeness and strong cooperation between Indonesia and Australia,” he added.

The meeting was also attended by Foreign Minister Sugiono, Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, and Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya.

For context, Prabowo had previously met with Richard during his visit to Australia to meet Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. On that occasion, the President received nine state guests from various countries, meeting them sequentially from afternoon to evening.

In addition to Richard, Prabowo received a British delegation represented by British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters, and South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. He also met with Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape, Vanuatu Prime Minister Charlot Salwai, Laotian Vice President Pany Yathotou, and Chinese Vice President Han Zheng.