Macron decorates Indonesian leader with top French award
MAGELANG : French President Emmanuel Macron bestowed Indonesia's leader with France's top award on Thursday, before announcing a new cultural partnership with Jakarta on a visit to the world's largest Buddhist temple.
Macron's trip to Indonesia is the second stop of a three-nation, six-day tour of Southeast Asia that began with Vietnam and concludes in Singapore.
After meeting for talks in the capital Jakarta, Macron and his counterpart Prabowo Subianto flew by helicopter on Thursday from Javan city Yogyakarta to a military academy in Magelang, a city in Central Java surrounded by mountains.
The pair attended a military parade and Macron gave Prabowo the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, France's highest military or civil award.
Prabowo is an ex-general accused of rights abuses under dictator Suharto's rule in the late 1990s. He was discharged from the military over his role in the abductions of democracy activists but denied the allegations and was never charged.
Macron rode in a jeep driven by Prabowo with the pair welcomed by a marching band and hundreds of students waving Indonesian flags.
Macron then visited Borobudur, a Buddhist temple built in the 9th century that is the world's largest, where the pair announced they were boosting cultural ties.
'In front of this temple, we are taking an important step by launching a new cultural partnership,' said Macron.
'The first pillar is heritage and museum cooperation. The second pillar is cultural and creative industries,' he said.
Macron said the basis of the new partnership would be cinema and fashion, as well as video games, design and gastronomy.
The French leader will depart for Singapore where he will deliver the opening address on Friday at the Shangri-la Dialogue, Asia's premier security forum.
On Wednesday, the pair called for progress on 'mutual recognition' between Israel and the Palestinians at a key meeting next month as Macron brought the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation into his diplomatic efforts.
'Indonesia has stated that once Israel recognises Palestine, Indonesia is ready to recognise Israel and open the diplomatic relationship,' said Prabowo.
Indonesia has no formal ties with Israel and support for the Palestinian cause among Indonesians runs high.
The nations also signed a series of agreements on cooperation in a range of fields including defence, trade, agriculture, disaster management, culture and transport.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
a day ago
- New Straits Times
13MP to strengthen Perlis, Kedah as major cross-border trade hubs
KANGAR: The 13th Malaysia Plan (MP13) is expected to reinforce Perlis and Kedah's position as major industrial and logistics hubs linking cross-border trade between Malaysia and Thailand. Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA) chief executive Datuk Mohamad Haris Kader Sultan said the logistics infrastructure projects announced under 13MP are essential to improving efficiency, reducing business operating costs and attracting more investment in export-oriented manufacturing within the Northern Region. "The Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) welcomes MP13's focus on logistics infrastructure development at the Perlis Inland Port (PIP) and the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) complex in Bukit Kayu Hitam, Kedah," he said in a statement to Bernama today. Mohamad Haris said this focus aligns with MP13's goal of strengthening the northern logistics corridor under the border development initiative through the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle, as well as boosting bilateral trade, particularly in high-technology products. He said that NCER is currently developing external infrastructure to support the PIP project, including the construction of the Bonded Road and the Railway Spurline and viaduct, under Packages 1 and 2, respectively. "The construction of Package 1, spanning 6.5km, has been fully completed, while Package 2 is 93.6 percent finished," he said. He said the PIP's location next to the Chuping Valley Industrial Area (CVIA) in Padang Besar would create strong industrial-logistics synergies. "NCIA will continue working with the state government and relevant agencies to attract more high-quality investments to CVIA, in line with MP13's goal of balancing regional economic growth and strengthening rural development," he said. Several infrastructure projects to strengthen cross-border connectivity and trade, including upgrades to the PIP and ICQS complex in Bukit Kayu Hitam, will proceed under MP13, which was unveiled yesterday by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. – Bernama
Malay Mail
a day ago
- Malay Mail
Indonesian President Prabowo grants clemency to jailed political foes ahead of Independence Day
JAKARTA, Aug 1 — Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto pardoned two political rivals, a former trade minister and a senior politician from an opposition party a few weeks after both were sentenced to jail, officials said. Prabowo granted amnesty to Hasto Kristiyanto, the secretary general of parliament's largest party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas said late on Thursday in a news conference broadcast by local media, after meeting the House's deputy speaker. Hasto was sentenced to 3-1/2 years in prison last week for bribing an election official but the amnesty revokes his sentence though his conviction will still stand. The president also granted an abolition for Thomas Trikasih Lembong, a trade minister under President Joko Widodo who was sentenced to 3-1/2 years in prison for improperly granting sugar import permits, Supratman said in the news conference. The abolition means, Lembong, who was the campaign manager of Prabowo's rival candidate in last year's presidential election, is acquitted of the charges and his sentence. Prabowo granted the clemencies as the government sees the need to unite all political elements and as part of Indonesia's independence celebrations in August, said Supratman. 'We need to build this nation together, with all the political elements... And both have contributed to the republic,' Supratman said. It is common for the Indonesian president to give pardons ahead of the national independence day on August 17. The amnesty for Hasto was among the pardons given to more than 1,100 other people, Supratman added. Lawyers for Hasto and Lembong did not immediately respond for Reuters' request for comments. Under Indonesian law, the president has the authority to give amnesty and abolition but it requires approval from the parliament, said Bivitri Susanti from Indonesia's Jentera School of Law. Still, she said the amnesty given to Hasto was rather 'political' to gain support from the largest opposition party in the parliament while for Lembong, the government is responding to growing protests from the public over his sentence. Other observers were concerned the pardons undercut efforts by the judiciary to deal with corruption in a country where concerns about graft and government misconduct are high. 'It shows that the government could intervene in law enforcement, make it as a political bargain,' said Muhammad Isnur from rights group Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation. — Reuters
Malay Mail
a day ago
- Malay Mail
‘Rewarding Hamas': Trump slams allies' push for Palestinian statehood
WASHINGTON, Aug 1 — President Donald Trump has expressed displeasure with leaders of France, the United Kingdom and Canada for saying they plan to recognise a Palestinian state in September, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday. Recent announcements by some of Washington's closest allies have only hardened the US president's stance against the move. While Trump slammed Canada for announcing its intention to recognise Palestinian statehood at a United Nations meeting in September, he has been milder in his criticism of French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. He dismissed Macron's decision, which got the ball rolling last week for other countries to consider similar steps, saying the statement did not 'matter' and 'doesn't carry much weight.' Starmer this week said the UK will formally recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel takes 'substantive' steps, including agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza. Asked about Britain's decision after a trip to Scotland and talks with Starmer, Trump said he was 'not in that camp, to be honest.' According to Leavitt, Trump is now more critical of the push for recognition and believes it amounts to 'rewarding Hamas at a time where Hamas is the true impediment to a cease fire and to the release of all of the hostages.' — AFP
