Solo. Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad visited former Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo at his residence on Jalan Kutai No. 1, Sumber Subdistrict, Banjarsari District, Solo, Central Java, on Wednesday.

Jokowi welcomed Mahathir’s delegation at Adi Soemarmo Airport before they arrived at his residence around 11:50 a.m. They were greeted by Jokowi’s wife, Iriana, who wore a brown kebaya paired with a jarik (traditional Indonesian cloth).

Mahathir had a brief conversation in the living room before moving to the dining room with Jokowi, Iriana, and his eldest daughter, Marina Mahathir, for lunch.

The group shared a friendly conversation while enjoying a meal that began with appetizers, including onde-onde (a traditional sweet pastry) and Solo-style sausage, one of Solo's signature dishes.

Mahathir said his meeting with Jokowi focused on development in Malaysia and Indonesia. He expressed admiration for Indonesia’s ability to maintain a stable food supply despite having a population of nearly 300 million, calling it an achievement to be proud of.

He also emphasized that their discussion did not involve politics but rather the broader relationship between the two nations. He called for the need to enhance bilateral cooperation, particularly in trade, noting that many Indonesian products could be imported to Malaysia instead of being sourced from other countries. Likewise, Malaysia had surplus production that could be exported to Indonesia. He added that both nations should identify potential goods for trade to strengthen economic ties.

Regarding his visit to Solo, Mahathir said this was his third time in the city. He recalled his first visit when he attended the funeral of former Indonesian President Soeharto and mentioned that he had returned later to visit Soeharto’s grave.

Mahathir served as Malaysia’s prime minister twice, from 1981 to 2003 and again from 2018 to 2020.

The last official meeting between Mahathir and Jokowi took place in 2019, when Jokowi, then Indonesia’s president, visited Mahathir, who was still Malaysia’s prime minister. The visit followed Mahathir’s earlier trip to Indonesia in 2018.

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