KUALA LUMPUR: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto expressed gratitude to His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia for The Most Esteemed Order of the Johor Royal bestowed on him today.
Prabowo said the conferment of the order symbolises the close relationship between him and the King, as well as the entire Johor royal family.
“Our relationship goes back a long way. I may have known His Majesty for 45 years now, ever since we were both young and attending school in the United States,” he told a joint press conference with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim here after their meeting at the PETRONAS Twin Towers here.
Earlier today, His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim bestowed the Darjah Kerabat Johor Yang Amat Dihormati I (The Most Esteemed Order of the Johor Royal I) to Prabowo. The investiture of the order was held at Istana Negara and was also witnessed by Anwar.
Meanwhile, Prabowo also said that the people of Malaysia and Indonesia share many similarities, which have been the pillars of strength in the relationship between the two neighbouring countries.
“Malaysia and Indonesia have common interests; we are the founding members of ASEAN. We share a strong historical, cultural, and ethnic bond...hence making our relationship special,” he added.
Meanwhile, Prabowo, in a post on his official X account, said that the royal order conferred upon him today was the second awarded to an Indonesian President by the Johor Sultanate.
He noted that the last time such an award was bestowed on an Indonesian President was in 1990 to Soeharto, who served in office from 1967 to 1998.
“As the highest mark of honour from the Johor Sultanate, this recognition stands as a strong symbol of friendship and close cooperation between Indonesia and Malaysia,“ he said in the post.
