President Prabowo Recalls Youthful Bond with Thai King

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has spoken about his personal connection with Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, or Rama X. According to the President, their relationship stems from their shared experience as soldiers in their youth, leading to conversations about past memories akin to old friends when they meet. These remarks were made during a bilateral meeting at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, where President Prabowo officially welcomed Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. This marked Anutin's first official visit to Indonesia as Prime Minister. "I have a very long personal relationship with His Majesty. We were both soldiers when we were young. So we have beautiful memories and actually when we meet, it feels like old soldiers talking about the past," said Prabowo during the bilateral meeting with PM Anutin at Merdeka Palace. President Prabowo also conveyed birthday wishes to King Rama X on his 74th birthday, praying for his continued health, happiness, and strength in leading the Kingdom of Thailand. "May His Majesty continue to be blessed with health, happiness, and strength in leading the Kingdom of Thailand," he stated. He also expressed his deepest condolences, on behalf of the Indonesian people and himself, to the Royal Family and the people of Thailand on the passing of the King's eldest daughter, Princess Bajrakitiyabha. "I want to convey our deepest condolences on behalf of Indonesia and on behalf of myself to the Royal Family and the people of Thailand on the passing of Her Royal Highness Princess Bajrakitiyabha. Our prayers and thoughts are with you during this difficult time," Prabowo said. Beyond personal ties with the Thai King, the discussions also touched upon the bilateral relations between Indonesia and Thailand, which have been progressing well over the years. The President pointed out the need to resolve outstanding issues in the commercial sector as quickly and effectively as possible. "We may have some commercial issues that we want to resolve as quickly and as well as possible," he stated. President Prabowo expressed optimism that Indonesia and Thailand can further strengthen their long-standing partnership. He highlighted that both nations are major economic powers in the ASEAN region, possessing significant populations and common natural resources such as rubber and tin. He conveyed a hopeful outlook for enhanced relations in all areas, attributing this to these factors. "We have significant populations and we have common commodities that we share, I think. Rubber, tin, and many others. So I am very optimistic that we can improve our relations in all fields," Prabowo explained. Read the latest and most trusted news at Berita Liputan6 Source: Liputan6