Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (right) talks with President Prabowo Subianto (left) during a luncheon at Rumah Tangsi tourism and cultural center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Thursday. President Prabowo travels to Kuala Lumpur to discuss with PM Anwar various bilateral and regional issues.  — PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE OF MALAYSIA/THE JAKARTA POST/ANN Photo

 Yvette Tanamal

JAKARTA – President Prabowo Subianto took a day trip to Kuala Lumpur on Thursday to meet with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and discuss both bilateral and regional issues over lunch as Malaysia marks the start of its chairmanship of ASEAN.

The President, accompanied by Foreign Minister Sugiono and Cabinet Secretary Maj. Teddy Indra Wijaya, landed at the Bunga Raya VIP complex of Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 10am local time. They later headed to the Rumah Tangsi cultural space, greeted by Anwar for both leaders’ scheduled luncheon.

According to statements issued by officials of both countries, the visit was “personal” in nature, with Prabowo’s official presidential trip to Malaysia not taking place until later this month.

Despite the informality, conversations between the two leaders focused on key regional and other geopolitical issues, with the Malaysian statement highlighting talks on “ASEAN Community Building, enhancing cooperation and addressing common global challenges”.

“Today, I celebrate the visit from my best friend, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, in his official work visit to this country,” Anwar wrote on his official social media accounts.

Among issues they discussed during the lunch were border issues, labor transfer, coordination on fisherfolk in conflicted areas along the Malacca Strait, trade, defense and security.

“We are focusing on these issues to strengthen the bond that has been formed these years. Insya Allah [God willing], I believe this meeting will be used to look for new opportunities for both countries’ better futures,” Anwar continued.

In a speech at the Malaysian Economic Forum in Kuala Lumpur before meeting Prabowo, Anwar told Malaysian businesspeople, officials and other attendants that he would also discuss with his Indonesian counterpart ways to “improve the economy of both countries and cooperation between Indonesian and Malaysian companies”, including in pushing for digital transformation.

Shortly after the luncheon, Prabowo left Kuala Lumpur and returned to Jakarta, with Anwar seeing the Indonesian entourage off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Regional focus

Prabowo was initially scheduled to come to Malaysia in December to meet Anwar and former Thailand prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra for an informal talk on ASEAN and bilateral cooperation in Langkawi. The Malaysian leader also sought to tap into the former Army general’s “strong ties with ASEAN leaders and extensive experience” as Kuala Lumpur prepares for its chairmanship of the bloc this year.

The meeting was postponed because Prabowo had a fever, according to Anwar. But Prabowo’s aide Teddy insisted that the President had been healthy, asserting that the raincheck was caused by urgent business instead.

While details of the conversation between Prabowo and Anwar remained undisclosed as of Thursday evening, both leaders were expected to discuss the Myanmar crisis, among other issues, following a briefing by Naypyidaw’s ruling junta over a plan to hold an election in the war-torn country in 2025.

The past four years have seen ASEAN struggling to navigate the political and humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, where a military coup has thwarted the country’s democratic government and kickstarted instability marked by international economic sanctions, indiscriminatory military air strikes and ethnic-based rebellions.

ASEAN’s peace-led solution, the Five Point Consensus (5PC), struggled to take hold in Myanmar, with its calls for immediate cessation of violence and dialogue among all parties largely ignored as fighting between factions continued.

Meanwhile, international pressure for the bloc to help resolve the Myanmar crisis has been increasing in the past years, pushing state members to hold a two-day meeting in Bangkok to discuss the crisis with several external parties, including China, India and Bangladesh.

Foreign Minister Sugiono, however, skipped the meeting in Bangkok, leaving Indonesia represented by two senior diplomats.

Under the theme “Inclusivity and Sustainability”, Malaysia’s chairmanship of ASEAN seeks to steer the bloc forward in “strengthening regional peace, stability and prosperity”, according to an official release in October of last year.

The official launching of Malaysia’s chairmanship will take place in Langkawi this month, according to Malaysia’s state news media Bernama, with Southeast Asian nations’ top envoys expected to partake in the first ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat of the year. — The Jakarta Post/ANN