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Megawati, Puan have exclusive meeting with King Salman
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Wefie: President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo smiles as he watches former president Megawati Soekarnoputri and her daughter Puan Maharani, who is coordinating human development and culture minister, take a wefie with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud at the State Palace on Thursday. (Courtesy of the Presidential Office/Agus Soeparto)
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kipping the invitation of the House of Representatives to attend King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud’s speech in its plenary meeting on Thursday, former president Megawati Soekarnoputri apparently opted to meet the Saudi Arabian king at the State Palace the same day.
Megawati and her daughter Puan Maharani, who is coordinating human development and culture minister, had the opportunity to talk with the king for around 15 minutes at the palace, according to a statement released by the Presidential Office on Thursday. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo was also involved in their talk.
(Read also: SBY, Prabowo attend King Salman's speech, Megawati not seen)
The meeting took place after King Salman, who is in Jakarta for a three-day state visit, asked Jokowi which one the granddaughters of former president Soekarno was among the dozens of ministers welcoming him at Bogor Palace, West Java, on Wednesday. Jokowi then introduced Puan to the king.
“Today [on Thursday] King Salman finally could meet both the daughter and granddaughter of [former] president Soekarno on a special occasion,” the statement said.
Puan said, as cited in the statement, that King Salman told her that he was honored by the warm welcome from President Jokowi. The king also said he was glad that he could meet the daughter and granddaughter of Indonesia’s founding father, Soekarno.
“This [meeting] proves that the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, as well as that between Soekarno and [late] King Faisal [Salman’s father], is very close,” King Salman said, as quoted by Puan.
High profile figures, including former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Gerindra Party chair Prabowo Subianto, attended King Salman’s speech at the House on Thursday. (ebf)
