Islamabad – The official visit of H.E. Mr. Prabowo Subianto, the President of the Republic of Indonesia, to Pakistan on December 8-9, 2025, has concluded, and it is a historical high point in bilateral relations.
To mark 75 years of diplomatic friendship, the visit was concluded with the granting of the Nishan-e-Pakistan, the highest civilian award of Pakistan, to the Indonesian President by President Asif Ali Zardari.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif termed his meeting with President Subianto “extremely productive and gratifying,” noting that the visit would take the “wonderful relations to a much higher level.”
President Subianto, reciprocating the warmth, expressed his optimism, stating that the “historic and brotherly relations” between the two nations were “solid” and should be utilized to “benefit our people in most fields.”
Economic Breakthrough: Balancing Trade and Targeting CEPA by 2027
While acknowledging that current bilateral trade has surpassed the US$4 billion-mark, PM Shehbaz Sharif highlighted a key challenge that “more than 90 per cent accounted for palm oil imports.”
To overcome this imbalance, both parties decided to proceed at a rapid pace to bring the already established Preferential Trade Agreement (IP-PTA) into a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) by 2027. It will involve greater compromises and the elimination of non-tariff barriers.
PM Sharif detailed the mutual resolve to take “corrective measures to balance this balance of trade through agricultural exports from Pakistan, through exports of IT-led initiatives,” assuring President Subianto that Pakistan would “work closely” to achieve these targets.
President Subianto affirmed this commitment, stating he had instructed his ministers to “expedite the rebalancing of Pakistan-Indonesia trade relations in practical terms.”
The countries also emphasized the need to intensify the mutual investments, especially in the partnership between the Special Investment Facilitation Council in Pakistan (SIFC) and the Sovereign Wealth Fund (Danantara) in Indonesia, aiming at making investments in the fields of agriculture, mining, digital infrastructure, tourism, and energy.
New Frontiers in Health, Education, and Sustainable Development
One of the notable results of the visit was the commitment to human resource development. President Subianto particularly credited Pakistan with its goodwill to assist in enhancing the national health sector of Indonesia, which was pursuing an enormous task of educating doctors and dentists in a mass program.
An agreement was reached between the two sides to dispatch Pakistani doctors, dentists, medical professors, and professionals to Indonesia. A health cooperation MOU was signed, which included pharmaceuticals, medical devices, health technology, and preparedness to disease outbreaks with pandemic potential, including the manufacturing of vaccines.
The leaders also emphasized the importance of collaborating to address climate resilience, disaster management, and sustainable development in meetings with President Zardari, and they decided to improve cooperation in renewable energy and tourism.
Deepening Defence and Security Collaboration
Realizing the importance of security relationships, the two parties decided to strengthen defence relations by strengthening military relations and institutionalizing defence industrial relations. Plans were discussed to consider a partnership in the spheres of maritime and aviation activities.
President Subianto also met with Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Chief of Defence Forces. Both parties renewed their intentions to intensify the already existing relationship with each other, with Field Marshal Munir again urging Pakistan to increase its defence cooperation in the field of training, counterterrorism, and capacity-building.
Unified Global Stance and Historical Solidarity
The leaders exchanged views on pressing global challenges, with President Subianto noting that both countries shared “common values” and practiced a “moderate Islam, which promotes inclusivity, tolerance.”
Both parties noted that they were deeply concerned with the humanitarian situation. PM Sharif praised Indonesia for its unswerving support in Gaza, which he reported had brought peace in that section of the globe, and President Subianto assured that “we will not waver in our support for a two-state solution in Palestine.”
The leaders stressed that their relationship “predated” their independence. PM Sharif lauded the historical support, recalling that Pakistan’s founder, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, supported Indonesia’s war of independence, and that Indonesia “stood with Pakistan like a rock” in 1965.
President Zardari briefed President Subianto about the situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). The two presidents supported the idea of enhancing collaboration to deal with challenges such as Islamophobia and unity among Muslims.
To mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations, PM Sharif stressed, “Let us agree to celebrate these 75 years with great fanfare in Jakarta and in Islamabad simultaneously.”
Overall, the visit resulted in eight signed Agreements/MoUs that cement cooperation in the fields of health, higher education, trade, narcotics control, archives, and management of libraries.
Netizens Response to Indonesian President’s Visit
The successful visit and the agreements that followed instantly became one of the trending topics on social media sites in both nations.
The netizens showed enthusiasm, especially in the ambitious economic and human development objectives, highlighting the strong support of Indonesia in tougher times.
