Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto recently met with Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala in Prague during a transit flight en route to Russia.

Prabowo was on his way to Moscow to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. He stopped by Prague and met with Fiala for talks on how the two nations can trade more. The meeting did not count as an official state visit as it was only a transit route.

“We discussed Indonesia-Czechia bilateral ties. We also explored opportunities to expand mutually beneficial cooperation on investment and trade,” Prabowo posted on his social media account X on Wednesday, commenting on his talks with Fiala.

The Czech politician had been in Indonesia on a state visit back in 2023, during which Prabowo’s predecessor, Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, was still in power. Fiala said at the time that Czech companies were interested in investing in Jokowi’s multi-billion-dollar capital relocation megaproject. He also nudged Jakarta into importing beyond the usual energy sector equipment and medical devices.

“We can bring Czech food products to the Indonesian market. We can increase investment in Indonesia,” Fiala said when visiting Jakarta two years ago.

Official statistics showed Indonesia-Czechia trade had dropped from $337.2 million in 2023 to $296.5 million the following year. Indonesia suffered a $184.7 million deficit in its bilateral trade with the Czech Republic in 2024. Indonesia reported that it had attracted $2.87 million in Czech investments throughout the first quarter of 2025. Czechia only ranked 52nd on the list of Indonesia’s biggest foreign investors over the said period.

The Czech Republic is part of the European Union (EU), with which Indonesia is trying to finalize a bilateral trade pact. Both sides aim to wrap up the substantial negotiations of this comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) by the end of this month.