Prabowo Subianto, the President-elect for the 2024-2029 term and Minister of Defense of Indonesia, had a packed schedule from Friday (31/5) to Monday, with a series of back-to-back activities.
From Friday to Saturday, Prabowo traveled to Singapore to participate in the IISS Shangri-la Dialogue, an international forum attended by leaders and defense ministers from various countries. Upon his arrival on Friday afternoon, he attended the Gala Dinner at the forum, where he interacted with high-ranking officials from other countries such as US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Timor Leste President Ramos Horta.
On Saturday morning, Prabowo visited the Istana in Singapore to meet with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong before heading to the Shangri-La Hotel for the IISS Shangri-la Dialogue. Prior to his speech at the forum, Prabowo held a bilateral meeting with Lloyd Austin and later delivered a speech discussing Indonesia’s efforts to provide aid to Gaza and its readiness to send peacekeeping troops if requested by the United Nations (UN). He also expressed Indonesia’s willingness to send medical personnel and evacuate injured citizens if needed.
Following his address, Prabowo engaged in several bilateral meetings with officials such as Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren, Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. On Sunday, Prabowo returned to Indonesia and visited Yogyakarta, where he visited the Military Academy (Akmil) and engaged with Military Basic Education Scholars and Cadets of the Defense University (Unhan). He also toured SMA Taruna Nusantara and paid a visit to retired General Subagyo Hadi Siswoyo (HS).
On Monday, Prabowo inspected the installation of clean water pipes in Kalurahan Banyusoco, Playen, Gunungkidul, Special Region of Yogyakarta, to assist communities facing a clean water crisis. This initiative, carried out by the Ministry of Defense (Kemhan) of RI and the Defense University (Unhan) of RI, aims to improve the livelihoods of the local community by increasing their access to clean water. Following his visit to Gunungkidul, Prabowo returned to Jakarta to resume his duties at the Ministry of Defense and meet with guests, including the Ambassador of New Zealand Kevin Burnett.