Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto landed in Paris late Monday night local time to meet his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, ahead of the arrival of more Rafale fighter jets in Jakarta.

Paris became his second international stop this time after a five-hour talk with Russian leader Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin.  Prabowo — who has repeatedly justified his frequent foreign trips as necessary for the people’s welfare — had only been in France for a banquet in January.

“Mr. President [Prabowo] will have a four-eye meeting with President Macron at the Élysée to discuss enhancing strategic bilateral ties,” Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said.

According to Teddy, Prabowo will explain Indonesia’s position “in safeguarding stability and promoting global peace”, alluding to the turbulences made by the US-Israeli war with Iran. 

Teddy did not specifically mention the Rafale jet procurement. However, both governments have often described the arms purchases — or the general defense ties — as having significantly shaped their bilateral relations. 

In 2022, Indonesia sealed deals to order 42 Rafale jets developed by the the French aerospace giant Dassault Aviation. News outlet Reuters wrote that at the time the deal boasted an $8.1 billion price tag.

During a Jakarta visit in May, Macron said that the strategic defense agreement — which was freshly announced at the time — “could open up new perspectives for more Rafale orders”. 

Indonesia received the first three units of the twin-jet fighter aircraft in late January. Indonesia is expecting to see the next batch of planes in mid-2026. According to Defense Ministry spokesman Rico Ricardo Sirait, the arrival will also hinge on the “contract and technical preparedness”. 

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