Indonesia, Saudi sign deals as King Salman starts landmark visit

King Salman was met by president Joko Widodo before travelling past cheering crowds in pouring rain to a presidential palace at Bogor south of Jakarta, where he was greeted by a marching band, a mounted honour guard and a 21-gun salute.

Saudi King Salman and Indonesian president Joko Widodo walk under umbrellas during heavy rain at the presidential palace in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia on March 1, 2017. King Salman arrived in the worShow more

BOGOR, INDONESIA // Indonesia and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday signed agreements in areas ranging from trade to aviation as the kingdom’s monarch visited the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country for the first time in almost half a century.

King Salman was treated to an elaborate official welcome as he arrived in Jakarta, his latest stop on an Asian tour seeking investment opportunities.

After disembarking from his plane, he was met by president Joko Widodo before travelling past cheering crowds in pouring rain to a presidential palace at Bogor south of Jakarta, where he was greeted by a marching band, a mounted honour guard and a 21-gun salute.

The Saudi monarch held talks with Mr Widodo as torrential rain lashed the palace grounds.

The leaders oversaw the signing of 11 pacts, including trade, aviation, and boosting cooperation in science, health and fighting crime.

They also inked a new agreement between state energy companies Saudi Aramco and Pertamina, building on an existing $6 billion (Dh22bn) plan to expand Indonesia’s biggest refinery.

The visit — the first by a Saudi Arabian king to Indonesia for 47 years — is one of the highlights of a rare Saudi royal tour of Asia which is seeking investment as the world’s biggest oil exporter tries to diversify its economy.

King Salman, 81, said he hoped the visit would “contribute to the improvement of the bilateral relationship between our two countries”, while Mr Widodo hailed the visit as “historic”.

“As the country with the biggest Muslim population in the world, Indonesia will always have a special bond with Saudi Arabia,” Mr Widodo said.

The kingdom’s ambassador to Indonesia said on Tuesday the two countries would cooperate in tackling terrorism and that military officers were training in each other’s countries to counter ISIL militants.

Secular Indonesia has grown increasingly concerned about security, after several attacks over the past year blamed on supporters of ISIL, and has deployed at least 9,000 police and military for the 12-day visit.

Roads were closed to traffic and snipers stationed along the route the king’s convoy took from the airport to the presidential palace in the town of Bogor.

Hundreds of children holding Indonesian and Saudi flags welcomed the king.

King Salman will also be meeting religious leaders, make a speech at parliament, and visit South-east Asia’s biggest mosque, Istiqlal, on Thursday before a brief trip to Brunei and then an extended break on the Indonesian holiday island of Bali.

The monarch is being accompanied by an entourage that Indonesian officials have said could number up to 1,500, including princes and ministers. Almost 460 tons of equipment have been flown in for the visit.

* Agence France-Presse and Reuters