Jokowi to Visit Vietnam, Brunei, Philippines in Series of Bilateral Meetings

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo or Jokowi will conduct a series of state visits from Jan. 9 to 14, 2024. Coordinator for Presidential Special Staff Ari Dwipayana ensured Jokowi would head to Vietnam, the Philippines, and Brunei Darussalam during his visits.

"The visit to the three countries has been prepared since a few months back," he said in a brief text to Tempo on Sunday.

When asked about the agendas, Ari said Jokowi would announce the agendas before embarking on his trip while the details are being renewed by Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi. Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lalu M. Iqbal also ensured that Minister Retno will come along with Jokowi.

"The visits are bilateral," he confirmed on Friday, Jan. 5.

Jokowi's overseas trip overlaps with the anniversary of his party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle or PDIP on January 10. His relations with the party have reportedly been stretched thin, after his son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, ran for vice presidential candidacy with Prabowo Subianto. Meanwhile, PDIP is backing the Ganjar-Mahfud pair.

PDIP Secretary-General Hasto Kristiyanto said that his side has received the information about Jokowi's visits to the Philippines on Jan. 10. The Presidential Palace also denied that Jokowi's trip to several Southeast Asian nations is intended to avoid the anniversary of PDIP. 

Each year, Jokowi meets with leaders of Vietnam, Brunei Darussalam, and the Philippines at the ASEAN Summit. At the bilateral level, Jokowi met with Viet Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Monday, September 4, 2023.

Meanwhile, Jokowi last met with Brunei's Hassanal Bolkaiah in a bilateral meeting on Thursday, May 3, 2018, to discuss trade, investment, and Indonesian workers at Bogor Palace. Jokowi conducted a bilateral meeting with Philippines' Marcos Jr. on September 5, 2022, also at Bogor Palace.

DANIEL A. FAJRI

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