Jakarta. The Foreign Affairs Ministry has confirmed President Prabowo Subianto’s attendance at the upcoming APEC summit next month as part of the newly installed leader’s first overseas trip, a spokesman said on Thursday.

In about two weeks from now, Prabowo will fly to Peru to meet other leaders of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies in Peru. The grouping, which brought together 21 Asia-Pacific economies, aims to make sure that cross-border trade and investments can take place without a hitch across the region. Leaders of APEC economies are expected to convene in the Peruvian capital of Lima in mid-November. 

“It is true that Mr. Prabowo will attend the APEC Summit in Peru. He will then head to the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro afterward,” said Rolliansyah Soemirat, spokesperson for the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

The upcoming Peru conference is expected to focus on three priorities, including trade and investment for inclusive and interconnected growth. Digitalization and sustainable growth are set to be high up in the agenda at the conference. Rolliansyah said: “We can see how the themes that the APEC Summit has set are in line with the Indonesian government’s priority programs.”

According to him, Prabowo is scheduled to have some bilateral talks with his foreign counterparts on the sidelines of both APEC and G20 summits. The diplomat, however, did not go into details on the bilateral meetings, saying that the government was still working on the topics of discussions that Indonesia would push forward.

APEC includes rivaling economies the US and China. Fellow ASEAN members Brunei Darussalam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam are also members. Indonesia was among the founding members of APEC. Former President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo came to last year’s APEC Summit in San Francisco, during which the two-term leader brought the forum’s attention to the Gaza crisis.

Add as a preferred source on Google +