Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – President-elect Prabowo Subianto finally met with Jordanian King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein in person on Monday local time as he flew to Amman for talks on humanitarian assistance to people affected by the ongoing war in Gaza.

Prabowo is currently in Amman to attend an emergency summit aimed at organizing a humanitarian response for Gaza. Prabowo, who currently serves as the defense minister, took the chance to have bilateral talks with the Jordanian king and also a long-time friend.

According to a ministerial press statement, Abdullah II congratulated Prabowo on his election victory before the Amman meeting shifted to the Gaza situation. Prabowo said that Jordan had been a good ally to Indonesia in its efforts to support the Palestinian cause.

"The Indonesian government continues to monitor the worsening situation in Gaza. The number of fatalities and injuries continues to rise. Indonesia is very concerned about the current condition of the people in Gaza who are extremely vulnerable," Prabowo told Abdullah II, as reported by the press statement.

This marks their first time meeting in person since Prabowo won the election, although Abdullah II made a congratulatory phone call in March. Abdullah also referred to Prabowo as "my brother", while telling him "Indonesia needs you".

"I have fond memories of Amman," Prabowo said during the phone call.

Abdullah II responded: "I have fond memories of you too, my dear friend."

Media reports show that both Prabowo and Abdullah II are alumni of the military academy Fort Benning. A 1998 New York Times article wrote that Jordan had offered Prabowo citizenship, although the latter turned down the offer.

Prabowo also reportedly used to live in Amman at the time. In 2014, Prabowo uploaded an old photo of him with Abdullah II on the social media platform X, which was still called Twitter back then.

"Speaking of the Jordanian King, perhaps only several of my friends know that I will never forget his kindness," Prabowo tweeted on Feb. 27, 2014.

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/prabowo-finally-meets-with-good-friend-jordan-king-in-amma