TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto admitted to receiving numerous invitations to visit foreign countries from leaders of friendly nations. Prabowo mentioned that he received the invitations during the presentation of credentials to the ambassadors of friendly nations on June 8-9, 2026. At that time, 18 ambassadors were present at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta.
"Almost all of them conveyed invitations from the presidents and prime ministers of their respective countries, 'We hope that the President of Indonesia can visit our country.' Imagine, 18 countries. It's quite overwhelming," said Prabowo during his speech in Lampung on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, as reported by the Presidential Secretariat.
According to the Chair of the Gerindra Party, Indonesia is a non-aligned country with good relations with various nations. He stated that Indonesia is currently favored and sought after by other countries because it is known for not wanting to have enemies.
Therefore, he considers it reasonable for the president to receive many invitations to travel abroad. "This is the risk of having many friendly countries," Prabowo said.
He also pointed out that Indonesia is a member of many international organizations such as APEC, OIC, BRICS, and G20. Hence, he feels the need to accept invitations from other heads of state to maintain good relations.
President Prabowo claimed that every visit abroad is to defend the interests of the Indonesian people. He also mentioned those who often criticize the frequency of his international visits, referring to them as people who are "pretentiously smarter than everything."
The former Minister of Defense also stated that there are invitations that he cannot decline. For example, if a superpower like President Donald Trump of the United States invites him to visit.
"Now, if a superpower country, let's say President Trump, invites me to America. Would I dare not to come? Huh? If the President of the US sends an invitation and the President of Indonesia doesn't show up, huh? would you dare to try it?," Prabowo said.
After accepting the invitation from the United States, he mentioned that he would also have to accept invitations to visit other powerful countries. "Once the President of America invites, the President of Russia also invites. I show up in Washington, but I don't show up in Moscow? Not possible, brothers and sisters," he said.
"After that, being invited by President Xi Jinping (China), I will attend. Is it allowed? Invited again by India. India with a population of 1.4 billion people, a large market, and great technology. The same goes for Brazil," Prabowo said.
The intensity of Prabowo's visits abroad has been highlighted by various parties. One of them is the founder of the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI), Dino Patti Djalal, who suggested to President Prabowo to reduce his travels abroad.
The former Deputy Foreign Minister noted that during his presidency, Prabowo spent 1 out of a total of 6 days abroad. Therefore, he is not surprised when people consider these foreign diplomatic trips unusual.
Eka Yudha Saputra contributed to the writing of the article.
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