Jakarta. United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed on Wednesday conveyed his congratulations to presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto for the latter’s election success.

Prabowo, set to become Indonesia’s eighth president with a decisive win based on quick counts by independent pollsters and the ongoing tally by the General Election Commission, shared the message from bin Zayed on his social media accounts.

“Today, I had the honor of receiving a congratulatory call on our election results from the President of the United Arab Emirates, His Highness Mohamed bin Zayed,” Prabowo wrote on X. “I am truly grateful for the call as it reflects the strong and enduring friendship between Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates.”
 
Since President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo assumed office in 2014, Indonesia and the UAE have been cultivating closer ties. The UAE government generously donated vaccines during the Covid-19 pandemic to Indonesia and actively participates in the construction of Indonesia’s new capital city, Nusantara, in East Kalimantan.

As bilateral ties strengthen, so does the personal relationship between bin Zayed and President Jokowi. The royal family has constructed a mosque in Abu Dhabi named after the Indonesian president. In reciprocation, Jokowi named an elevated toll road in West Java after the UAE ruler.