Prabowo arrives in Malaysia for working visit

The special aircraft carrying Prabowo and his delegation landed at the Bunga Raya Complex, Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) here at 10.15 am.

Prabowo, who was greeted on arrival by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and Indonesian Ambassador to Malaysia Datuk Hermono, then inspected a guard of honour mounted by 28 officers and members of the First Battalion of the Royal Ranger Regiment (Ceremony) led by Captain Raja Azri Syahir.

Prabowo is scheduled to hold a meeting with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, which will then be followed by a private lunch, before departing for home this afternoon.

This is Prabowo's first working visit to Malaysia since assuming the post in October last year.

Wisma Putra, in a statement today, stated that the meeting between Prabowo and Anwar is expected to focus on bilateral cooperation and explore the potential of new cooperation to strengthen the relationship between the two countries.

The visit reflected the special relationship between Malaysia and Indonesia which is supported by strong cooperation in various fields including economy, socio-culture, defence and security.

"With Malaysia taking over the role as ASEAN Chairman this year, the two leaders are expected to exchange views on efforts to strengthen ASEAN Community Building, regional cooperation and address global challenges," according to Wisma Putra.

Malaysia officially assumed the position of ASEAN Chairman starting this month under the theme 'Inclusion and Sustainability'.

Malaysia has chaired ASEAN in 1977, 1997, 2005 and 2015.

In 2023, Indonesia is Malaysia's seventh largest trading partner globally and the third largest among ASEAN member countries, with a trade volume of RM111.21 billion (USD24.39 billion).

From January to October 2024, total bilateral trade between the two countries reached RM95.50 billion (USD20.75 billion) compared to RM94.37 billion (USD20.69 billion) in the corresponding period in 2023.

-- BERNAMA