President Prabowo Admires PM Modi and Attends Indian Community Reception to Strengthen Indonesia-India Friendship

Jakarta (Atnews) - President of the Republic of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, attended the Indian Community Reception held at the Jakarta International Convention Center (JICC) on Tuesday (Jul 7). The event was solemn and began with the playing of the national anthems of both countries.

In his opening remarks, President Prabowo expressed his profound gratitude and joy at meeting the Indian community in Indonesia. “Once again, please allow me to extend a very warm welcome to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his visit to Indonesia,” he said.

President Prabowo then recalled the honor moment he received as the chief guest at the 2025 Republic Day celebrations.

According to the President, the moment held historical significance because the first President of the Republic of Indonesia, Sukarno, was also the chief guest at the first Republic Day celebration of India in 1950.

“I was very honored to be the chief guest because the first Republic Day celebration of India was in 1950, and the chief guest at that time was the first President of Republic of Indonesia, President Sukarno. So, fate made me the eighth President of the Republic of Indonesia,” he recalled.

In his remarks, President Prabowo reiterated his personal admiration for PM Modi. “Once again, I do not interfere in domestic politics of India, but I am a personal admirer of Shri Narendra Modi,” the President stated.

Meanwhile, PM Modi, in his remarks, expressed his appreciation for the warm welcome extended to President Prabowo Subianto and all the Indonesian people.

PM Modi called President Prabowo a true friend of India and expressed his awe at the honor he had received since arriving in Indonesia.

“This is an experience I will cherish for the rest of my life. In Indonesia, the love Indonesians have for India—I even saw it today at the Presidential Palace.

The spirit of the Indonesian people, the smiles of the schoolchildren at the palace, the enthusiasm of the Indonesian youth—it was all extraordinary. I cannot express it in words; it was truly extraordinary,” said PM Modi.

PM Modi also expressed his admiration for the enthusiasm of the Indonesian people, which he said reflected a genuine friendship, including the popularity of Indian songs. According to PM Modi, this cultural closeness is a strong foundation for strengthening relations between the two countries in the future.

“Today I told President Prabowo that if India and Indonesia walk together, it is not just Kuch Kuch, not just a few things that happen, but in the future, many things will happen if we always stay together,” he said.

The Indian Community Reception marked a warm closing evening of state visit of PM Modi to Jakarta. The meeting did not only affirm the strong strategic partnership between Indonesia and India, but also demonstrated that the relationship between the two countries is built on a foundation of history, people-to-people friendship, and cultural closeness continuing to grow from generation to generation (Z/002).