Jakarta. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, accompanied by First Lady Emine Erdoğan, arrived in Jakarta on Tuesday afternoon for his second visit to Indonesia in less than three years. He was personally welcomed by President Prabowo Subianto, with both leaders aiming to strengthen bilateral ties across various sectors, including defense. 

The two leaders previously met in Ankara last July when Prabowo was still president-elect. This year marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Turkey.

On Wednesday, President Prabowo is scheduled to host a meeting with President Erdoğan at the Bogor Palace in Jakarta's suburb.

In 2010, both countries signed a defense cooperation agreement, which was further solidified with the inaugural defense dialogue in 2020. A notable outcome of this collaboration is the joint development of the Kaplan MT/Harimau medium tank by Indonesia's state-run arms producer Pindad and Turkey's FNSS. 

Beyond defense, Indonesia and Turkey aim to establish strategic partnerships in trade, investment, education, and technology during Erdoğan's visit.

President Erdoğan's visit to Indonesia follows his trip to Malaysia, another key ally in Southeast Asia that has been Turkey's comprehensive strategic partner since 2022. 

“I believe that our visits to Indonesia, which hosts the ASEAN Secretariat General, and Malaysia, which currently holds the [ASEAN] presidency, will have positive implications, especially for the relations we want to strengthen with ASEAN,” Erdoğan posted on X prior to his four-day Asian trip.

Erdoğan will conclude his tour in Pakistan, another predominantly Muslim nation.

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