Indonesian Prez to be chief guest at R-Day function
Newly elected Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will be the chief guest during India’s 76th Republic Day celebrations, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Thursday.
“At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President of the Republic of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto will pay a state visit to India on January 25 and 26. President Subianto will also be the chief guest for India’s 76th Republic Day celebrations,” an MEA statement said.
The MEA said this would be Subianto’s first visit to India in his capacity as President after assuming office in October 2024.
“India and Indonesia share warm and friendly ties spanning over millennia. As a comprehensive strategic partner, Indonesia is an important pillar in India’s Act East Policy and our vision of the Indo-Pacific,” the MEA said. The forthcoming state visit of Subianto will provide an opportunity to the leaders of the two countries to undertake a comprehensive review of bilateral ties as well as to discuss regional and global issues of mutual interest.
In the visit of Subianto, history will repeat itself after 75 years. This is the third time an Indonesian President will grace the Republic Day event. On January 26, 1950, when India celebrated its first R-Day, the chief guest was then Indonesian President Sukarno. On India’s Republic Day event in 2011, then President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was the chief guest.
Subianto, a retired Army General who commanded the Indonesian National Army Special Force — Kopassus for nearly three decades, is the eighth President of Indonesia.
Over the years, chief guests for the Republic Day celebrations in India have been top global leaders, including former South African President Nelson Mandela in 1995, UK’s Queen Elizabeth II in 1961 and then US President Barack Obama in 2015. In 2024, French President Emmaneul Macron was the chief guest and in 2023, President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi graced the occasion.
