Ahmad Zahid Arrives in Jakarta for Four-Day Visit to Boost Malaysia-Indonesia Bilateral Ties

JAKARTA, Sept 17 — Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi arrived here today for a four-day working visit aimed at strengthening Malaysia-Indonesia bilateral cooperation across disaster management, the halal industry, and rural development.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Minister of Rural and Regional Development, arrived at Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport at 1:15 pm local time. He was received by Malaysian Ambassador-designate to Indonesia Datuk Muzaffar Shah Mustafa, Indonesia’s Halal Product Assurance Organising Agency (BPJPH) head Ahmad Haikal Hasan, and Indonesian senior officials.

During the visit, Ahmad Zahid is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Indonesian Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka at the Vice-Presidential Palace. Gibran is expected to be accompanied by key cabinet members, including Home Affairs Minister Muhammad Tito Karnavian, Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions Minister Yandri Susanto, and Environment Minister Mohamad Jumhur Hidayat.

Following the high-level meeting, Ahmad Zahid will visit the Ministry of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions, where both countries are set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance strategic cooperation in rural community development.

The visit, running through Sunday (Sept 20), comes at the invitation of BPJPH in conjunction with the fifth Halal 20 (H20) Summit. The Deputy Prime Minister is slated to attend the summit’s opening ceremony on Sept 18 and participate as a panellist in a dedicated session on regional halal integration.

Bilateral economic ties between the two ASEAN neighbours remain robust, with total trade reaching US$24.22 billion in 2025[cite: 1]. Malaysia remains Indonesia’s fourth-largest foreign investor, with investments totaling US$4.5 billion. People-to-people movement also saw strong momentum last year, with 2.63 million Malaysian visitors traveling to Indonesia—making Malaysia its largest source of foreign tourists—while 4.26 million Indonesians visited Malaysia.

-NMT