Anthony Albanese has explained why he took the unusual step for an Australian Prime Minister to visit the Indonesian city of Makassar.
The prime minister landed on Tuesday in the port city, the capital of the island of Sulawesi, where Australia has opened a diplomatic outpost.
“We had a very successful visit in Jakarta and a warm welcome from President Widodo,” the prime minister, dressed in traditional Indonesian clothes, told reporters.
“And the Indonesian government was very happy when I requested to visit Makassar.”
Mr. Albanese said he wanted to convey that Australia understood that Indonesia was a vast, diverse country outside the well-known centers of Jakarta and Bali.
“Makassar has a great future as part of Indonesia’s growth, which will see it grow into one of the top five economies in the world in the coming years,” he said.
Camera icon Anthony Albanese is the first Australian Prime Minister to visit the Indonesian city of Makassar. Sky News Credit: Delivered
Mr. Albanese discussed Makassar’s history as a port city with longstanding ties to Indigenous Australians.
“I am very happy to be here in Makassar, which has, of course, been involved for centuries in the trade between seafarers here in Makassar and the Yolngu people of Arnhem Land,” he said.
Mr. Albanese later visited a university in Makassar to deliver a speech reaffirming his government’s commitment to renewable energy.
He also said he was proud that his ministry had two Muslim Australians, Ed, Husic, and Anne Aly, for the first time.
“This is the enduring value of Australian multiculturalism and the wide spectrum of Australia’s religious and cultural diversity,” he said.
Indonesia is home to the world’s largest Muslim population, with over 200 million followers of Islam.
Mr. Albanese will visit a local flour mill – the second largest in Indonesia and one of the largest in the world – which uses Australian wheat and exports the finished product back to Australia.
He will hold a press conference later in the afternoon before returning to Australia.
Albanian traveled with Foreign Secretary Penny Wong, Industry Secretary Ed Husic, Commerce Secretary Don Farrell, and Labor MP Luke Gosling, who represents Darwin.
Labor leaders have been joined by a contingent of Australian business leaders.
Mr. Albanese paid a visit to Jakarta on Monday, where he met Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
The two leaders held their first official meeting since Mr. Albanian was sworn in as prime minister. They also took a bike ride through the gardens of the Presidential Palace in Bogor.
Mr. Albanian later confirmed that he would attend the G20 summit in Bali in November, even if Russian President Vladimir Putin keeps his promise to listen.