Indonesian President’s Visit: A Move to Take Pakistan-Indonesia Relations to New Heights
Dr. Syed Mehboob
Pakistan and Indonesia are two brother Islamic countries striving for unity of the Muslim ummah, global peace, promoting tolerance, brotherhood, and supporting dialogue and cooperation. The relations between the two countries are deep-rooted, time-tested, and historical. Pakistanis fought for Indonesia in its independence war and sacrificed their lives, and some of them received the highest award of Indonesia. Pakistan and Indonesia enjoy close, cordial, and long-standing relations, underpinned by shared values and mutual interests.
To further boost and to take these relations to new heights, Indonesian President His Excellency Prabowo Subianto visited Pakistan for two days on 8th December and stayed here till 9th December 2025. He made this visit on the invitation of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif. He was accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising key ministers and senior officials. It was President Prabowo’s first visit to Pakistan. The last presidential visit from Indonesia was undertaken by President Joko Widodo in 2018. This visit of President Prabowo carried great significance as it coincided with the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Indonesia.
During his stay, President Prabowo held delegation-level talks with the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and also met with President Asif Ali Zardari, the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Field Marshal Hafiz Syed Asim Munir. The two sides discussed a wide-ranging agenda aimed at further strengthening Pakistan-Indonesia relations and exploring new avenues of cooperation, including trade, investment, defence, health, and Information Technology (IT), climate, education, and culture, as well as enhancing collaboration at regional and global levels. Several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were also signed.
From January to October 2025, bilateral trade between Indonesia and Pakistan was US$3.3 billion, with palm oil accounting for the majority of exports from Indonesia.
On his arrival at the Noor Khan airbase, President Prabowo received a very warm and historical welcome. Pakistani Prime Minister, on the occasion, stated that he was honored to host the Indonesian President and noted that Islamabad and Jakarta “ are bound together by a shared history, deep cultural affinity, and a friendship rooted in mutual respect and solidarity. He further said, “ Looking forward to our meaningful engagements, and we will work to further strengthen this enduring partnership”. Children dressed in traditional attire presented flowers to Subianto upon his arrival.
On the occasion, the Indonesian president exchanged pleasantries with the president and the prime minister. Children holding the flags of both countries extended a warm welcome to the esteemed guests. The Indonesian president was also given a twenty-one-gun salute.
It is interesting to mention that in July 2025, Indonesian Defence Minister Lt General (Retired) Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin met with Shehbaz in Islamabad, where he expressed his country’s desire to boost defence ties with Pakistan and explore areas for possible collaboration, particularly in defence production. In June 2025, the two countries decided to increase cooperation in areas such as vaccine production in Pakistan, the establishment of medical institutions in Indonesia, pharmaceutical development, and human resource exchange. Trade between Pakistan and Indonesia has enormous potential, and in 2024, its volume was US$4.2 billion. From January to September 2025, bilateral trade stood at US$2.92 billion, as compared to US$2.69 billion during the same period of 2024, reflecting a strong and encouraging increase in economic ties.
President Prabowo Subianto is a visionary, dynamic, and committed leader of Indonesia. He was a businessman and is a retired military officer who has been serving as the eighth president of Indonesia since 2024. He previously served as the 26th Minister of Defence under President Joko Widodo from 2019 to 2024. President Prabowo is Indonesia’s third president to have a military background after Suharto and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and is the oldest first-term president in Indonesian history. He graduated from the Indonesian Military Academy in 1970 and primarily served in the Special Forces (Kopassus) until he was appointed to lead the Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) in 1998. His father was an economist who served as former President Sukarno’s minister for the economy and Suharto’s minister for research and technology.
President Prabowo got 58% of the vote. He got 96 million votes, which is a great victory. Analysts give much importance to his visit to Pakistan and predicted that his recent visit will pave the way to take the countries' relations to new heights. During the visit, the two sides reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral relations and reaffirmed their commitment to deepening brotherly ties between the two countries across all areas, including political and diplomatic, economic and trade, security and defence, cultural and education, science and technological, and health cooperation. During their discussions, the leaders emphasized the importance of enhancing high-level engagements, political dialogue, effective use of existing bilateral mechanisms, and strengthening inter-parliamentary relations.
Affirming their shared commitment to expanding trade and economic cooperation, the two sides noted that while bilateral trade has doubled since 2014 and surpassed the US$4 billion mark, considerable opportunities remain unexplored. It was agreed to hold a meeting of the Joint Negotiations Committee (JNC) at the earliest to elevate the existing IP-PTA to a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) by 2027 through deeper concessions, removal of non-tariff barriers, as well as strengthening cooperation to fulfil the true potential of the bilateral agreement. Recognizing the importance of traditional trade commodities, including agricultural and industrial goods, palm oil, surgical instruments, and pharmaceutical products for the bilateral trade, it was agreed to explore opportunities to enhance cooperation in the services sector as well, including information technology, cyber-security, and fintech. The importance of cooperation in the halal food industry and Islamic finance was also underscored by both sides, the importance of strengthening mutual investments to diversify and expand economic cooperation. They agreed to explore measures to promote investment cooperation in diverse sectors, including and not limited to agriculture, IT, mining and minerals, tourism, infrastructure, digital infrastructure, connectivity and energy, including through engagement between Pakistan’s Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) and Indonesia’s Sovereign Wealth Fund (Danantara). Recognizing the importance of strengthening defence cooperation, both sides agreed to deepen collaboration through enhanced high-level military interactions, institutionalizing defence industrial cooperation, specialized training programs, and exchanges between military training institutions, in accordance with respective laws and regulations. The Indonesian side appreciated the ongoing defence education and training cooperation between the two countries. Both leaders agreed to explore further defence industry collaboration potentials, as well as maritime and aviation-related training. The two sides reiterated their commitment to working together to address transnational security challenges, including through constructive cooperation in preventing and countering terrorism and violent extremism, as well as preventing and countering illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, new psychoactive substance and their precursors, consistent with international law and the principles of the United Nations Charter. Pakistan expressed appreciation for Indonesia’s efforts in improving its national health sector. Both sides agreed to enhance collaboration through human health development, health care services, pharmaceutical and medical devices, health technology, including digital health, health emergency, including preparedness for diseases with pandemic potential, including vaccine manufacturing, disease prevention and control, women's and children's health, subject to respective domestic regulations. Recognizing the threats posed by climate change, both sides agreed to enhance cooperation in disaster management and climate resilience through strengthened collaboration in knowledge-sharing, capacity-building, and joint initiatives. Acknowledging the vast potential for collaboration in the tourism sector-anchored in shared history and culture, both sides reaffirmed their desire to deepen cooperation through knowledge sharing, joint sustainable tourism ventures, and coordinated promotional activities. Welcoming growing people–to-people linkages between Pakistan and Indonesia, both sides reiterated their commitment to further strengthen cooperation through academic collaboration, facilitating student exchanges, and supporting joint research initiatives between their educational institutions. They also agreed to enhance cooperation in technical, vocational, and religious education. The leaders exchanged views on regional and global developments. They emphasized the importance of upholding multilateralism, strengthening global governance, and ensuring that the United Nations remains central in addressing global challenges. Pakistan briefed the Indonesian side on developments related to the Jammu and Kashmir issue. Both sides emphasized the importance of peace, stability, and resolving outstanding issues through peaceful dialogue in line with relevant international principles and established bilateral processes between the parties.
The leaders expressed deep concern over the ongoing humanitarian situation in Palestine. They reaffirmed their longstanding support for a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace through the implementation of the Two-State Solution, in line with relevant UN resolutions and internationally agreed parameters, towards the establishment of an independent State of Palestine. Both sides welcomed the Gaza Peace Plan and appreciated their continued cooperation and diplomatic efforts in support of peace in Gaza. Pakistan reaffirmed its commitment to deepening engagement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Indonesia welcomed Pakistan’s interest in strengthening cooperation with ASEAN and encouraged continued constructive participation in ASEAN-led mechanisms, including through steady implementation of activities under the ASEAN–Pakistan Practical Cooperation Areas (PCA), as well as by exploring opportunities for closer interactions with ASEAN Member States (AMS).The two leaders noted with satisfaction the active cooperation within the framework of international organizations, particularly the United Nations (UN), the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and Developing-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8), of which Indonesia will assume the Chairmanship in 2026. They reaffirmed their readiness to continue supporting each other’s initiatives and candidacies, consistent with respective priorities and procedures.
Further building on the existing bilateral institutional mechanisms, the two sides signed the following Agreements/MoUs during the visit:
i. Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Indonesia and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for Grant Program on “The Indonesian Aid Scholarships”;
ii. Agreement between the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Ministry of the Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia on Mutual Recognition of Higher Education Certificates and Degrees;
iii. MoU between SMESCO and SMEDA on Facilitation of Small and Medium Businesses;
iv. MoU between the National Archives of the Republic of Indonesia and the National Archives of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on Archives Cooperation;
v. MoU between the National Narcotics Board, Government of the Republic of Indonesia and the Ministry of Narcotics Control, Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on Cooperation in Preventing and Combating Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances, New Psychoactive Substance and their Precursors.
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