President Prabowo and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim Agree to Strengthen Indonesia-Malaysia Strategic Cooperation
President of the Republic of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, met with Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim, at the Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur, on Monday, January 27, 2025. The meeting resulted in an agreement to strengthen strategic cooperation in various fields, including the economy, energy, and defense.
In the warm meeting, the two leaders emphasized their commitment to increasing synergy between the two related countries. President Prabowo also emphasized the importance of the special relationship between Indonesia and Malaysia.
“We have historical ties, we have blood ties, we have cultural ties, we even have ethnic ties. If I’m not mistaken, many Malaysian leaders still have family in Indonesia. There are so many of these ties. So I feel that this should make the relationship between Malaysia and Indonesia more unique,” said President Prabowo.
One of the main outcomes of the meeting was an agreement to strengthen cooperation in the energy sector. PM Anwar said that strengthening this cooperation could be realized through strategic collaboration between Petronas and Pertamina.
“Our commitment to guarantee cooperation between Petronas and Pertamina. Two oil and gas companies in the region to agree to explore new things and also transfers between countries,” said PM Anwar.
In addition, the two leaders also discussed cooperation in the fields of trade and investment, including the management of the palm oil industry which is the main commodity of both countries. President Prabowo said that Indonesia and Malaysia are the largest producers of palm oil in the world, reaching 80 percent of global production.
“Every time I go to certain countries they always say they need palm oil. Egypt, India, Pakistan, all of them. So I think we can do a lot of good. And thank you for the continued support from Malaysia in these matters,” said President Prabowo.
Cooperation in the field of defense was also one of the main agendas in the meeting. PM Anwar highlighted the importance of collaboration with Indonesia which has experience and strength in this sector.
“Both parties agreed to deploy all available strengths including the defense sector, where Indonesia has a lot of experience and strength,” he said.
Meanwhile, in the regional context, the two leaders agreed to strengthen coordination in facing geopolitical challenges. Both countries also showed alignment of attitudes regarding the Palestinian issue.
“Our Palestinian issue is on the same page, we continue to support Palestinian independence. And we are very firm that the only solution is a two-state solution,” President Prabowo emphasized.
The meeting was closed with an agreement to accelerate the implementation of cooperation through intensive coordination between related ministries in both countries. PM Anwar emphasized the importance of concrete steps to ensure the success of this cooperation.
“We have both given clear instructions to the countries and related departments other than the private sector to make improvements, to ensure that whatever is agreed upon in the Ministry as soon as possible,” he said. (BPMI Setpres)
