Prabowo defends pace of foreign trips at HIPMI Congress in Lampung

President Prabowo Subianto defended the frequency of his foreign trips amid public criticism in a speech at the HIPMI congress in Bandar Lampung, Wednesday (10/6/2026). He said travel by heads of state to various countries was normal, especially as the geopolitical situation is changing and “we do not know who is friend, who is foe.” Prabowo also compared the criticism with past scrutiny of Joko Widodo, who was once seen as traveling abroad too rarely. According to Prabowo, Indonesia is in demand precisely because it has no enemies and continues to pursue an independent and active foreign policy as well as nonalignment. He added that after receiving letters of credence from 17 friendly-country ambassadors, almost all of them brought invitations from their respective presidents or prime ministers for him to visit.