Arriving in Indonesia, President Macron: 'Your Country is Beautiful'

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his delight in being able to revisit Indonesia for a three-day state visit on May 27-29, 2025. Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, landed at the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base at 9:50 PM WIB (Western Indonesian Time), on Tuesday night, May 27, 2025. The French presidential Airbus A330-200 aircraft arrived in Jakarta after departing from Hanoi, Vietnam.

At Halim Perdanakusuma, Macron was welcomed by Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin. Betawi dance and music were performed to welcome the entourage. Before getting into the car, Macron took the time to speak briefly to the media. He said he was glad to be back in Indonesia after previously attending the G20 Summit in Bali two years ago.

"I am glad to be here because your country is beautiful. I remember meeting President Jokowi two years ago in Bali. And now my wife, myself, and my delegation are happy to be here, in Indonesia," Macron said before getting into the car.

Macron mentioned that he had conveyed to Sjafrie his anticipation for a meeting with President Prabowo Subianto. According to Macron, Indonesia is a strategic country and he wants to enhance the relationship between France and Indonesia.

"Because the relationship between these two countries is very strategic and (Indonesia) is very friendly," Macron said.

During his visit to Indonesia, Macron will visit the Magelang Military Academy and Borobudur Temple in Central Java. Macron is said to want to see firsthand the beauty of the world's largest Buddhist temple.

However, Macron's visit to Borobudur Temple has sparked discussions on social media. The reason is that the government has provided a stairlift to make it easier for Macron to reach the top of Borobudur Temple. President Prabowo Subianto will also accompany Macron.

Video and images of the installation of the stairlift have circulated on X and Youtube and Instagram. The video claimed to be the preparation for the installation of an escalator at Borobudur Temple to welcome the arrival of President Prabowo and President Emmanuel Macron, scheduled on Thursday, May 29, 2025. The video narrates that the escalator is being built to welcome the arrival of Prabowo and Macron.

Head of the Presidential Communication Office (PCO) Hasan Nasbi stated that the video is indeed part of the preparations for Macron's visit. He said the Indonesian government will provide a sort of step-free walkway to assist Macron and Prabowo to reach the 4th floor. Then, the government will prepare a stairlift from the 5th or 8th floor to the top of Borobudur Temple.

"Borobudur is about as high as our 12-story building. So, President Macron's state visit time is limited. Thus, facilities are provided for stepping on every floor and level at Borobudur," he said at his office in Jakarta, on Monday, May 26, 2025.

Hasan claimed that the government's goal in providing this is to make time more efficient.

"Using a stairlift to make time more efficient," he said.

According to Hasan, the installation of the facility does not damage Borobudur Temple. He claimed that the installation does not use nails and drills. Furthermore, the installation is only for that visit.

"So, it's just placed there. Later, when it's done, it can be easily dismantled," he said.

Hendrik Yaputra contributed to the writing of this article.

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