Prabowo Orders Defense Minister To Prepare TNI Contingent For Bastille Day In Paris

JAKARTA - President Prabowo Subianto ordered Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin to prepare the best TNI contingent to join the parade with French military forces during the commemoration of Bastille Day in Paris, France on July 14, 2025.

French President Emmanuel Macron invited President Prabowo as an honorary guest at this year's Bastille Day military parade, and invited Indonesia to send its contingent to join the parade on French National Day.

"Minister of Defense, prepare the best," President Prabowo told Defense Minister Sjafrie when delivering a joint statement with President Macron at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Wednesday, May 28.

President Prabowo, in the same statement, also expressed his gratitude for the invitation.

"I received a direct invitation from him (President Macron), I was invited as an honorary guest on their big day, which is July 14, which they call Bastille Day. That was the day of the French Revolution which (denoting) the establishment of the modern French Republic. I thank you for the invitation," President Prabowo Subianto told President Macron.

President Prabowo then expressed his enthusiasm to fulfill President Macron's invitation.

"I say this, thank you President Macron, because in the past during the event, I was in Paris, I watched it on the side of the road. Thank you, now I can get on the podium with the President," said President Prabowo.

The Bastille Day in Paris, France, is celebrated with a military parade every July 14. The Bastille Day parade was first held in 1790, while the military parade tradition began in 1880. The military parade is always held every year, except during the Nazi occupation during World War II, and during restrictions on activities outside during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

The Bastille Day military parade is generally held in the morning at Champs-ObviouslysES, Paris.

The invitation to attend Bastille Day as an honorary guest was delivered directly by President Macron when he met President Prabowo at the Merdeka Palace, Wednesday (28/5). President Macron's visit to the Merdeka Palace was part of his series of trips in Indonesia on 27 May 2025 to 29 May 2025.

At the Merdeka Palace (28/5), the two country leaders had completed a one-on-one meeting, bilateral meetings, and witnessed the signing of a number of cooperation documents between Indonesia and France. Then, President Prabowo and President Macron took turns giving joint statements in front of journalists.

President Macron will continue his journey with President Prabowo to Borobudur Temple and the Military Academy, both located in Magelang, Central Java, Thursday (29/5).

After completing his agenda in Magelang, President Macron is scheduled to continue his series of overseas trips to Singapore.

Indonesia is the second destination country for President Macron in a series of his Indo-Pacific trips since last week. Three countries are the destinations of Macron, namely Vietnam, Indonesia, and Singapore.