According to a statement from the Presidential Secretariat, Prabowo was scheduled to meet with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at his official residence in Putrajaya on Sunday night, before returning to Jakarta on the same day.

Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said that Prabowo made the journey to exchange pleasantries with Anwar as part of the Idul Fitri tradition of silaturahmi (extending communal bonds).

“The President greatly respects Anwar as his senior in ASEAN [...] He is also older in age and is a long-time friend of the President,” Teddy said.

While Teddy failed to confirm if a discussion on the US import tariffs will be on Sunday’s meeting agenda, Prabowo, Anwar, Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Philippines President Bongbong Marcos had previously discussed the topic by phone on Friday.

As chair of the bloc this year, Anwar said that Malaysia is pushing for ASEAN to form a collective response that will uphold the principles of fairness and equity in all trade negotiations. 

“The upcoming ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting will continue deliberations on this matter and seek the best possible solution for all member countries,” Anwar said on X on Friday.