Kuala Lumpur: His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, today conferred the Darjah Kerabat Johor Yang Amat Dihormati I (The Most Esteemed Order of the Johor Royal I) to Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the investiture of the order was held at Istana Negara and was witnessed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. A post on the King's official Facebook page mentioned that President Prabowo is a close friend of His Majesty, a relationship that dates back over 40 years to their military training days in the United States during the 1980s.

Earlier in the day, President Prabowo, who arrived early in the morning for a state visit at the invitation of Sultan Ibrahim, was accorded a full state welcome at Istana Negara. This visit marks the first state visit by a foreign Head of State since Sultan Ibrahim's installation as King of Malaysia. It is also President Prabowo's first state visit to a Southeast Asian country since his inauguration as President of Indonesia on October 20 last year.

Malaysia and Indonesia maintain strategic ties that encompass comprehensive cooperation across a wide range of areas, including politics, economy, defense, interconnectivity, education, and socio-culture. From January to November last year, total bilateral trade between the two countries reached RM106.06 billion (USD23.2 billion), an increase from RM101.99 billion (USD22.41 billion) during the same period in 2023.

In 2023, Indonesia was Malaysia's eighth-largest trading partner globally and the third-largest within ASEAN, with a total trade volume of RM111.21 billion (USD24.39 billion).