JAKARTA - President Prabowo Subianto told Australian Prime Minister (PM) Anthony Albanese that Indonesia and Australia have been destined to be neighbors who help each other in difficult circumstances.
In a joint press statement, President Prabowo said that like a family that might be far away, neighbors actually live close together and always exist when things are difficult,
"Therefore, I am determined to maintain the best relationship with our neighbors, and we are grateful that Australia. Under world leadership views Indonesia as a close friend," President Prabowo said in a press statement with PM Albanese at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Thursday, May 15.
Prabowo said PM Albanese was the first world leader to congratulate him after being elected as the 8th President of the Republic of Indonesia.
Likewise with Albanese who won the Australian Parliamentary Election and re-elected as Australian Prime Minister, Prabowo also said by telephone.
"I also heard that he won, I called directly. But I don't know if the first one (said congratulations) or not. Maybe someone should say (congratulate) first," said Prabowo.
Apart from being geographically close, Prabowo also mentioned that Australia is a strategic partner for Indonesia.
With the Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA), the President assesses that various bilateral agreements in various sectors have been reached and relations between communities are getting better.
SEE ALSO:
Meanwhile, PM Albanese in his speech emphasized that Indonesia is an irreplaceable partner for Australia. He revealed that his government had just been sworn in the day before his departure to Jakarta, which emphasized the importance of Indonesia in Australia's foreign policy.
"Indonesia is an irreplaceable partner for Australia and our two nations have unbroken ties. I am honored to be able to visit Indonesia once again as my first bilateral visit after the general election," said PM Albanese.
PM Albanese also highlighted the importance of economic cooperation and Indonesia's central role in ASEAN. He expressed his optimism for expanding economic collaboration between the two countries in Southeast Asia which is growing rapidly.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
