Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's Minister of Defense Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said President Prabowo Subianto, currently on an official visit to Brazil, may participate in the celebrations of Bastille Day in Paris, France, on July 14.
Speaking to journalists after sending off the Indonesian contingent set to march in the Bastille Day parade at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base in Jakarta on Sunday, he, however, did not give a definitive answer about the president's attendance. He simply said, "Insyaallah (God willing)."
Regarding the contingent, Sjamsoeddin highlighted that it is dubbed Patriot Indonesia II. He claimed that Indonesia is the only country directly invited by the French government to take part in this year's Bastille Day parade.
According to him, Patriot Indonesia II has around 500 personnel recruited from the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), the Indonesian National Police (Polri), and their academies.
"This invitation brings pride to the nation and serves as proof that the Indonesian National Armed Forces hold a respectable position on the international stage, standing among countries striving for technological progress," he remarked.
President Prabowo received a personal invitation from French President Emmanuel Macron to attend the Bastille Day celebrations in Paris following their bilateral meeting at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on May 28.
“I have received a personal invitation from him (Macron) to attend as an honorary guest a national day of France called Bastille Day, commemorated every July 14—a date linked to the French Revolution that marked the beginning of the modern French Republic,” he remarked.
At a joint press conference with Macron, Prabowo noted that the French President also invited Indonesia to send a contingent to join the parade the same day, which commemorates the storming of the Bastille.
The Indonesian leader expressed gratitude for the invitation and voiced eagerness to fulfill it. He then instructed Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin to prepare the best contingent for the parade.
