Minister Prabowo Meets with French President Emmanuel Macron

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia’s Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto met with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysée Palace in Paris, France, Tuesday, March 15.

The meeting took place more than a month after Indonesia officially purchased 42 Rafale fighter jets from the French airline, Dassault Aviation, in mid-February.

“On behalf of the Defense Ministry of the Republic of Indonesia, I thank the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron for the invitation to the meeting this morning at the Elysée Palace,” Prabowo wrote on his Instagram @prabowo.

On the uploaded photos, Prabowo was seen talking with Macron in the palace. However, it has not been known yet what issues they are talking of.

The purchase of Rafale fighter jets is one of the five new cooperations in the defense sector agreed in the meeting between Prabowo and his French counterpart Florence Parly in Jakarta, Thursday, February 10.

The meeting with Macron, meanwhile, is part of the series of the ministry’s visits to several countries in recent days.

Prabowo met with his Saudi Arabian counterpart Mohammad Ahmed Al Bowardi in Riyadh on March 6 and the latter’s deputy Prince Khalid bin Salman in Riyadh on March 7. Then on March 15, the minister met with his Greek counterpart Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos in Athens.

Read: Defense Minister Inaugurates MRI Center at Gatot Subroto Army Hospital

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