Jakarta — Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto welcomed a visit from the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Egypt, Ahmed Al Tayeb at the Ministry of Defense on Wednesday (10/7) afternoon.
Ahmed Al Tayeb and his delegation arrived at the Ministry of Defense at 15:00 WIB and were warmly greeted by Prabowo, followed by handshakes and a media greeting.
The two then proceeded together, accompanied by a guard of honor and a marching band.
The meeting, which lasted about an hour, was warm and cordial. M. Quraish Shihab, the former 16th Minister of Religious Affairs of Indonesia from 1998, was also present to accompany Prabowo.
“Your Eminence, thank you for your visit to us, it is a great honor. Egypt is a nation very close to our hearts. If I am not mistaken, historically, Egypt was the first country to recognize the independence of Indonesia,” Prabowo said.
“I personally have great admiration for Egypt’s history and the struggle of the Egyptian people, and we are very grateful that Al Azhar has always paid attention to and supported Indonesia.”
During the meeting, the Grand Imam of Al Azhar also directly congratulated Prabowo on being elected President of Indonesia for the 2024-2029 period.
“With all sincerity, we would like to extend our congratulations to Your Excellency, on being elected as the President of a very significant Muslim country, Indonesia,” said Ahmed Al Tayeb to Prabowo.
He also prayed for Prabowo to be granted ease in fulfilling his duties as President of Indonesia so that his leadership may bring progress, prosperity, and peace.
“We also wish to convey our best prayers for Your Excellency’s forthcoming leadership period to be filled with progress, prosperity, and security for the Indonesian nation,” said Ahmed Al Tayeb.
At the end of the meeting, Prabowo, Quraish Shihab, and the Grand Imam of Al Azhar exchanged gifts and took photos together.
Prabowo received a book, Al-Qawl Al Tayyib, from Grand Imam Ahmed Al Tayeb and also kissed a Mushaf Madinah Quran given to him.
In return, Prabowo presented a keris and a plaque from the Ministry of Defense as gifts.