Saudi Arabia’s King Salman will visit Jakarta and Bali as a part of the Indonesian leg of his Asian trip next month, taking with him 1,500 people, including 10 ministers, Indonesian officials said.
“This is a very historic visit for us,” Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung told reporters on Tuesday, adding that the king will likely be in Indonesia from March 1 to 9. He will spend the last six days of his trip “relaxing” in Bali.
Anung said Indonesian President Joko Widodo hoped the visit would bring investments value as much as $25 billion to Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia had no immediate comment.
The last visit of the king of Saudi Arabia to Indonesia was 46 years ago, when King Faisal arrived within the archipelago.
Indonesia hopes the visit will help further cement relations between state energy company Pertamina and Saudi Aramco, that are working together to modernize the Cilacap refinery, Indonesia’s largest refinery complex, while also eyeing other investments.
The king, now 80, led a 300-person entourage to Turkey last yr, and native media reported that preparations for his stay in a luxury hotel suite in Ankara alone cost about $10 million. They said that 500 luxury cars were rented to move the king in Ankara and Istanbul. Cargo planes shipped the king’s personal belongings upfront. The total cost of the trip was estimated at $18 million.
Indonesia, home to the world’s largest Muslim population, hopes Saudi Arabia will help promote moderate Islam through religious teaching and exchange programs for scholars, Anung added.
Indonesia expects to sign agreements with Saudi Arabia to extend the frequency of flights from the Middle East to Indonesia and increase the variety of tourists.
The longest leg of King Salman’s Asia trip this yr will likely be in Indonesia, said Deputy Foreign Minister Abdurrahman M. Fakhir.
“This is also a promotion in itself and will hopefully increase the number of tourist arrivals from the Middle East.”
Indonesia wants to make use of the visit to extend the annual variety of haj pilgrims and gain commitments to enhance the health and safety of pilgrims and other Indonesians in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia is the major destination country for Indonesian domestic employees, but Indonesia imposed a travel ban on the Middle East in 2015 after the execution of two domestic employees in Saudi Arabia.
REUTERS
(Reporting by Jakarta Bureau; Writing by Fergus Jensen; Editing by Mike Collett-White)
