Prime Minister Hun Manet (right) met with new Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in Phnom Penh last month, when the later was serving as defence minister and president-elect. STPM
A leading analyst has described how Prime Minister Hun Manet's personal attendance at the inauguration of Indonesia's new President Prabowo Subianto and Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka showcases the close relationship between the two nations.
Manet will depart Cambodia on October 19 to attend the October 20 inauguration of Indonesia's new leaders.
He will lead a high-level delegation which includes Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sok Chenda Sophea, Minister of Commerce Cham Nimul and Senior Minister in charge of special missions Othsman Hassan, as well as other officials, according to a statement by the Cambodian foreign ministry.
Prabowo, 72, Indonesia’s former defence minister, won the presidential election in March, while 37-year-old Gibran, the eldest son of outgoing President Joko Widodo, will become vice-president.
“The prime minister’s [Manet] presence at the ceremony will serve as a testament to the strong partnership and close relations between the two countries,” said the foreign ministry.
Prabowo met with Manet during a working visit to Phnom Penh in September.
During their meeting, both leaders committed to further strengthening the 64-year-old diplomatic relations between Cambodia and Indonesia.
On August 31, 2023, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, sent a congratulatory letter to Manet upon his appointment as Cambodian prime minister. At the time, Jokowi pledged to enhance cooperation with Cambodia, particularly in strategic sectors like the economy.
Kin Phea, director of the Royal Academy of Cambodia’s International Relations Institute, noted that Manet’s attendance at the Indonesian leadership's inauguration illustrates the growing and positive bilateral relationship between the two ASEAN nations, with progress being made across various sectors, including politics, security, economy, trade and people-to-people exchanges.
He believed that the prime minister’s participation would serve as a catalyst for bolstering bilateral and multilateral ties between the two nations, both regionally and globally.
