The warm, strong friendship bonds between the UAE and Indonesia were on full display on Wednesday, when Indonesian President Joko Widodo personally greeted His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, on the tarmac at the bottom of the airplane’s staircase at Soekarno Hatta International Airport. A privilege only given once before, to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, when he visited Indonesia in March, 2017.
According to Indonesian news portal Sindonews.com, the Indonesian President then escorted his guest to Bogor Presidential Palace for a welcoming ceremony, and invited His Highness Sheikh Mohamed to visit the Selamat Datang Monument (Hotel Indonesia Roundabout) a historic landmark of Jakarta.
Following his arrival at Bogor Palace, the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince was accorded a state welcoming ceremony and the two leaders proceeded to plant an Agathis dammara, a coniferous timber tree native to Indonesia, to mark the occasion, which is customary in Indonesia.
