IO – Prabowo Subianto, the Minister of Defense, received a working visit of two ambassadors from two different countries at the Ministry of Defense Headquarters, Jalan Merdeka Barat Jakarta, on Tuesday, 12 November 2019. The two ambassadors who extended the hand of friendship are the United States ambassador to Indonesia, HE Joseph R Donovan and the Arab Saudi Ambassador to Indonesia, HE Esam A. Abid Althagafi.
During the visit Ambassador Donovan was accompanied by Deputy Chief of Mission Heather C. Variava and Defense Attache Colonel Mike Spake, while Ambassador Althagafi was accompanied by the Deputy Ambassador of Saudi Arabia Yahya Hassn Alqahtani.
The meeting between the Minister of Defense and the American Ambassador was held at around 13:00. Later during the day, the Minister of Defense then received a visit from the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia.
Receiving both dignitaries, Prabowo was accompanied by the Deputy Minister of Defense Wahyu Sakti Trenggono, and the Secretary General of the Ministry of Defense Vice Admiral Agus Setiadji. On that occasion Agus Setiadji said that Mr. Subianto also discussed opportunities for cooperation in the defense sector between the two countries, with great emphasis on the potential for the development of the defense equipment industry which is the homework President Joko Widodo assigned to the Ministry of Defense. “The defense equipment industry as well, but more to the introduction of the new Defense Minister,” said Agus.
The Head of the Ministry of Defense’s Public Communication Center Brigadier General Totok Sugiarto in his press statement on Tuesday (11/12/2019) said Indonesia and the US want to improve cooperation and relations in the defense sector. “This visit is an opportunity for both parties to discuss efforts together to continue to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation for the two countries, “Totok said that Indonesia and the US want to improve cooperation and friendship relations, especially in the field of defense.
“The two parties want the cooperation and friendship relations between Indonesia and US, especially in the field of defense to be maintained in a spirit of brotherhood and the principle of mutual respect,” he said.
According to the Special Staff of the Minister of Defense for Public Communication, Socio-Economic and Inter-Institutional Relations, Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak after the meeting, during the visit the two parties discussed joint efforts to continue to strengthen and enhance cooperation. “They also discussed the conditions of defense and global and regional security and a lot of issues related to that,” Dahnil stated. (ohw)