Prabowo Emphasizes The Importance Of Strong Relations With Neighboring Countries

President Prabowo Subianto with cabinet ministers in Singapore (ANTARA/HO-Ministry of Law of the Republic of Indonesia)

JAKARTA - Foreign Minister Sugiono said President Prabowo Subianto emphasized the importance of strong relations with neighboring countries, including Singapore, amid global uncertainty.

"The president said that it is our national interest to have a strong relationship with our countries including Singapore," Sugiono told reporters in Singapore, Monday, June 16, as reported by ANTARA.

Sugiono said that in the midst of an uncertain global situation like today, good relations with neighboring countries are valuable assets.

Therefore, President Prabowo emphasized to the ministers who took part in a bilateral meeting with the Singapore delegation to have good relations with Singapore as one of the closest countries to Indonesia.

Sugiono conveyed a series of activities of President Prabowo during a state visit to Singapore. The visit began at 09.30 local time with acceptance of bilateral respect and meeting between President Prabowo and Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

Next, a "Leaders' Retreat" was held between President Prabowo and Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, including a one-on-one session between the two country leaders.

The meeting then continued with discussions with the delegations of the two countries. The two countries also exchanged a number of memorandums of understanding (MoU) which had been signed by the ministers from both sides. The event continued with lunch with the President of Singapore.

In this activity, President Prabowo was also given the honor of embedding the name "Paraphalante Dora Sigar Soemitro" on orchids which became a symbol of personal closeness as well as a form of diplomatic award in Singapore tradition.

"So this is unique, yes, the cross result which was later named by the President with the name of the deceased's mother, Dora Sigar Soemitro. So, it is an honor and an honor for him to his late mother and to name this new crossing orchid with the name of the deceased," said Sugiono.

Today's state visits and "Leaders' Retreat" mark the end of President Prabowo's official visit to Singapore.

The president is still invited to dinner by the Prime Minister of Singapore, although not part of the official agenda of state visits.