The meeting at the Defense Ministry building in Jakarta saw an hour-long tete-a-tete behind closed doors, where Prabowo, according to official releases, told Gühler that closer cooperation in the security sector would hopefully “make a positive contribution, not only to mutual national interests but also to stability and security in the region”. 

Indonesia views Turkey as an increasingly vital partner in the defense sector, with multiple agreements on cooperation signed over the past decades. 

Prabowo, according to the same statements, also told Gühler that knowledge transfers within defense cooperation and development of human capacity, including large-scale scholarships for Indonesian students or short educational courses in the defense industry must be prioritized going forward. 

“Thank you, and I extend my appreciation to Defense Minister Yasar Gühler, for his visit today to the Indonesian Defense Ministry,” Prabowo said. 

Earlier in July, Prabowo visited Turkey as part of his European tour, which included trips to France, Serbia and Russia. In each of these meetings, the president-elect reasserted his eagerness to further defense, economic and diplomatic with those countries, a move analysts regard as a possible signal sent by Prabowo that his incoming leadership will continue upholding Indonesia’s free and active foreign policy. 

Before meeting with Gühler, Prabowo had just returned from Australia where he met Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and finalized a “vital” defense pact cooperation with Canberra, allowing forces from both countries to operate in each other’s territories. 

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