Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita will be on an official visit to Indonesia from Saturday to attend the Inauguration Ceremony of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka in Jakarta on October 20, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

The MEA said that 2024 is an important year as both countries are commemorating 75 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations and it also marks a decade of India’s ‘Act East’ policy of which Indonesia is an important pillar.

Participation of MoS Margherita in the inauguration ceremony reaffirms India’s commitment to further strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two nations, it said.

As per Indonesian officials, more than 20 foreign leaders and over 10 special envoys are expected to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prabowo and his Vice President, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the eldest son of outgoing President Joko Widodo, at the Senayan legislative complex in South Jakarta.

Former Presidents, Megawati Soekarnoputri and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, along with other candidates in the presidential election, Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo, are among the notable invitees

Approximately 24,000 soldiers and policemen have reportedly been deployed to secure the inauguration ceremony at the legislative building and along the route to the palace, starting from Thursday until Wednesday.

The inauguration session is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. local time, with the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) reading the decision of the General Elections Commission on the results of the 2024 presidential election.

Indonesia’s General Election Commission on April 24 declared Subianto as the country’s eighth President after appeals of two defeated presidential candidates concerning a dispute over presidential polls in February were rejected by the constitutional court.

Subianto, who was the Southeast Asian country’s Defence Minister, and his running mate defeated the Baswedan-Muhaimin Iskandar pair who got around 41 million votes, and Ganjar Pranowo-Mahfud MD who obtained around 27 million votes.