Prabowo to Skip UN Talks, Assigns Foreign Minister Sugiono
Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto will not address the UN General Assembly next week, according to the Foreign Ministry, marking a rare move despite the Indonesian leader’s frequent overseas trips.
World leaders will take turns to speak in front of the UN's iconic green marble podium in New York for the general debate beginning September 22. Foreign Minister Sugiono will represent Indonesia this time.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Yvonne Mewengkang said Thursday that Prabowo wished to focus “on domestic affairs”, without going into details.
“Having a foreign minister as Indonesia’s representative will still give political weight. It doesn’t diminish our government’s commitment to multilateralism,” Yvonne told a press briefing in Jakarta.
She went on to say that discussions on global issues remain in Indonesia’s interests. Indonesia’s overall message at the UN talks will focus on promoting multilateralism, global peace, and reforms at the intergovernmental organization. Jakarta is expected to pursue its “bridge-builder” agenda by advocating Palestinian independence.
Prabowo’s absence at the UN came as quite a surprise, as he had already spent at least 100 days abroad on overseas trips.
Russia became one of his regular stops. He had traveled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in his home country twice this year. Just a day earlier, Prabowo uploaded a video of a handpicked media interview session, where he said he would accept invitations from his other counterparts, and not just Putin.
“If the US invites me, I will join. That’s the point,” Prabowo said in the video recorded before his Indian trip, where he would see Putin again.
Prabowo signaled his plans to join the G20 talks in the US this December.
He made his UN debut last year after a decade-long absence by his predecessor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.
Prabowo — who caught attention for repeatedly slamming the podium — at the time talked of Palestinian independence, food security, and Indonesia's commitment to international peacekeeping forces.
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