Indonesia’s Prabowo, Turkey’s Erdogan agree to bolster ties

<p>Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto wave at the media upon Erdogan’s arrival in Indonesia (Image credits: PTI)<br></p>

BOGOR: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan held talks Wednesday, signing a series of agreements to boost trade and defence ties between the Muslim-majority nations, including a joint venture to build drones.
The Turkish leader was visiting Southeast Asia’s largest economy after travelling to Malaysia and before heading to Pakistan on a four-day tour of key allies in the Islamic world.
He was greeted at a presidential palace in Bogor, a city south of the capital Jakarta, by a traditional marching band, national anthems and schoolchildren waving flags.
“We are committed to increasing trade between the two countries, which is mutually beneficial,” Prabowo said after talks with Erdogan.
“We also agree to increase joint production and cooperation in the defence industry.”
Prabowo said that would include joint training for soldiers and closer collaboration on counter-terrorism and intelligence.
A dozen agreements on trade, energy, higher education and religious affairs were signed by ministers and officials, including a deal to manufacture drones in Indonesia, as the pair watched on.
Prabowo earlier called Erdogan “my close friend, my brother” after his arrival and said both sides were also trying to accelerate the signing of a free trade agreement.
The leaders held their nations’ first high-level strategic cooperation council meeting before the agreements were signed.
Erdogan said the pair talked about global issues including Syria and the Palestinian cause, alongside future deals seeking to boost their trade to $10 billion a year.
Indonesia and Turkey’s trade in 2024 was worth $2.4 billion, according to Indonesia’s trade ministry.
The leaders last met in July for talks in the Turkish capital Ankara before then-defence minister Prabowo was officially inaugurated as Indonesia’s president.
Relations between the two countries grew closer under Prabowo’s predecessor Joko Widodo, who paid a state visit to Turkey in 2017.
In 2023, Indonesia purchased 12 Turkish drones worth around $300 million in a push to upgrade its ageing military.
Both are members of the 57-member organisation of Islamic Cooperation where they are staunch supporters of Palestinians and vocal critics of Israel.