Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto confirmed that he concluded his 15-day diplomatic tour with a brief visit to Minsk, Belarus, aimed at broadening Jakarta’s trade cooperation with the Eastern European country.
He said he met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and noted that Indonesia and Belarus have significant potential for cooperation in the trade of various essential goods, especially fertilizers.
“Belarus needs a wide range of commodities from Indonesia, whereas we need fertilizers, including potash,” he told the media upon landing at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base in Jakarta on Wednesday.
The president emphasized that his visit to Belarus was also part of the government’s efforts to strengthen Indonesia’s food security, which he believes partly depends on the availability and accessibility of fertilizers for domestic farmers.
After wrapping up his agenda in Minsk, Prabowo flew directly back to Indonesia, concluding a diplomatic tour that also took him to Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Belgium, and France.
According to the Belarusian Telegraph Agency (BelTA), Prabowo and Lukashenko spent nearly three hours discussing “the widest possible range of topics” in an informal setting on Tuesday (July 15).
President Prabowo said it was an honor to meet Lukashenko at his home. He also invited his Belarusian counterpart to visit Indonesia.
“It is a great honor to be welcomed into your home,” he said. “I very much hope that in the near future you will find the opportunity to visit my home in Indonesia.”
Meanwhile, Lukashenko told Prabowo that he is among the few major world leaders he has hosted at his residence since its renovation, alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
He also expressed his readiness to discuss issues of common interest and his eagerness to visit Indonesia again. Lukashenko previously visited Indonesia in 2013, when he was received by then-President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
