Indonesian President Subianto arrives in Pakistan on two-day visit

ISLAMABAD: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto arrived here on Monday on his maiden two-day visit to Pakistan to deepen bilateral ties and explore new avenues of cooperation.

Subianto was received by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at Nur Khan Air Base.

The Indonesian President is accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising key ministers and senior officials, according to state-run Radio Pakistan.

His visit coincides with the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Indonesia.

According to the Foreign Office, President Subianto will hold delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz. He will also meet President Zardari.

Separately, the Chief of Army Staff and the Chief of Defence Forces, Field Marshal Asim Munir, will also call on President Subianto.

The two sides will discuss a wide-ranging agenda aimed at further strengthening Pakistan-Indonesia relations and exploring new avenues of cooperation, including trade, investment, defence, health, IT, climate, education and culture, as well as enhancing collaboration at regional and global levels.

Several Memoranda of Understanding are expected to be signed during the visit.

The last presidential visit to Pakistan from Indonesia was undertaken by President Joko Widodo in 2018.

In July, Indonesia's Defence Minister Lt Gen (retired) Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin met with PM Shehbaz in Islamabad and expressed his country's desire to boost defence ties with Pakistan and explore new areas for collaboration, particularly in defence production.