Jakarta — Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto welcomed a visit from Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape at the Ministry of Defense on Monday afternoon (15/7).
James and his delegation arrived at the Ministry of Defense at 16:00 WIB and were greeted personally by Prabowo at the car door before proceeding to meet the press.
James’s arrival was also honored with a guard salute accompanied by a marching band.
“It is a great honor to have the head of government visit the Ministry of Defense. He came because I am not only the Defense Minister but also the President-elect. So, he wanted to get acquainted, but also to pay respects. I think this is a very good honor,” said Prabowo.
During this meeting, Prabowo and James discussed the increasingly close cooperative relations between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, particularly in the field of education.
“I have offered since last year for our military education institutions to be open to the youth of PNG, their young officers, their cadets, we invite them. Now, we already have cadets from East Timor at the Military Academy in Magelang. We also open opportunities at our Defense University for them. They appreciate this very much,” Prabowo revealed.
“We aim to maintain good relations. They share a similar philosophy to ours. They want to respect all countries, all powers. We have a nearly identical view of respecting all nations,” added Prabowo.
Discussing defense cooperation along the border, Prabowo noted that relations between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea are very positive.
“Our cooperation is excellent, and we must recognize that many residents along the border live on both sides of it. They highly respect our sovereignty,” Prabowo asserted.
At the end of the meeting, both leaders took the opportunity to exchange gifts and take photographs together. James presented a traditional Papua New Guinean drum to Prabowo, while Prabowo gave a Keris in return.
Prabowo then escorted James back to his vehicle as they both exchanged farewells and expressed their gratitude.
