Prabowo Receives Eid Greetings from Anwar Ibrahim to Macron, Strengthening Cooperation Mentioned

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The 2025 Eid celebration also serves as a moment for President Prabowo Subianto to strengthen relations with several friendly nations. Through phone calls, the President received and conveyed Eid greetings to several heads of state.

President Prabowo Subianto held a telephone conversation with five national leaders on Friday (4/4/2025). These figures included Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, His Majesty the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia Sultan Ibrahim, Sultan of Brunei Darussalam Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, and French President Emmanuel Macron.

"President Prabowo expressed his appreciation for the greetings and prayers given, and responded with the hope that Eid al-Fitr would be a momentum to strengthen brotherhood and cooperation between countries," said Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya, in his written statement, received by Kompas, Saturday (5/4/2025).

During their discussion, President Erdogan and President Prabowo both reaffirmed the importance of close relations between Indonesia and Turkey, particularly in the areas of trade, defense, and solidarity among Muslims worldwide.

Meanwhile, during a discussion with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim, President Prabowo emphasized the urgency of bilateral cooperation between Indonesia and Malaysia. This diplomatic relationship is considered crucial for maintaining regional stability and the welfare of the people in both countries.

Having close ties with Indonesia, the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, also extended his congratulations to President Prabowo. Such communication was warmly welcomed. Furthermore, President Prabowo expressed Indonesia's commitment to continuously strengthen relations with Brunei Darussalam.

French President Emmanuel Macron seemed eager not to miss the opportunity to extend Eid al-Fitr greetings to Prabowo. In response to this gesture, President Prabowo emphasized the importance of cross-cultural dialogue and global cooperation amidst the increasingly complex challenges facing the world.

Not limited to just conversing, Macron also tweeted a snippet of his discussion with Prabowo through his X social media account, @EmmanuelMacron. Instead of using French, the number one figure in France actually posted a tweet entirely in Indonesian.

"I just spoke with the President of Indonesia, @Prabowo Subianto. We have decided to strengthen the ties between our countries with ambitious and forward-looking projects," Macron wrote on his X account.

To realize the cooperation, Macron will make a state visit to Indonesia at the end of May. The areas of cooperation that will be strengthened include defense, economics, science, and culture. Various academic exchanges between the two parties will also be developed.

In his tweet, Macron also mentioned his desire to build a future economy with Indonesia. This step will be taken by creating a resilient value chain. Especially in the critical metals sector. All of this will be accompanied by support for the energy transition.

Furthermore, Macron said, both countries are determined to promote peace and security in the Middle East until ending the war of aggression carried out by Russia in Ukraine. To that end, he stated that they would work together to prepare for the conference on Gasa, which will be held in July.

“The future is built through strong partnerships, open trade and a shared vision,” Macron tweeted.

It turns out that it was not only Macron who revealed the contents of his conversation with Prabowo. Anwar Ibrahim also reported via his Instagram social media, namely @anwaribrahim_my, that he had just called a number of heads of state in ASEAN. In addition to Prabowo, several figures who were also called by Anwar were Philippine President Bongbong Marcos, Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, and Sultan of Brunei Darussalam Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.

In the phone call, Anwar discussed the reciprocal tariffs currently being implemented by the United States. He wanted to exchange views with the heads of state to deal with the issue. Collective problem solving will be prioritized.

"As ASEAN Chair, Malaysia is committed to fostering consensus among its member states and upholding the principles of fairness and equality in all trade negotiations, including within the framework of the ASEAN-US dialogue," Anwar wrote in his post.

In the post, Anwar also reported that a meeting of ASEAN economic ministers would be held next week. The meeting is expected to find the best solution for all member countries regarding the reciprocal tariff issue.

For those words, said Teddy, the President has conveyed his respect and gratitude. Those words are a kind of showing the attention of those leaders as friends of Indonesia. Hopefully, the warmth of those heads of state can bring peace.

"The President expressed his respect and gratitude for the attention of friendly leaders, and hoped that Eid al-Fitr could bring peace, happiness, and new spirit to Muslims and the entire world community," said Teddy.