Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Prabowo Subianto has proposed to Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) the establishment of an Indonesian pilgrims' village near Masjid al-Haram in Mecca.
President Prabowo stated that Prince MBS responded positively to the idea of building a village for Indonesian pilgrims near the Great Mosque of Mecca.
"The last time I met with him (Prince MBS), I presented Indonesia's intention to establish a village for Indonesians in the Holy Land, as close as possible to Masjid al-Haram. His reaction was quite positive," President Prabowo said in Tangerang, Banten, on Sunday.
He made this statement during the inauguration of the Special Terminal for Hajj and Umrah Pilgrims at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
According to Prabowo, Prince MBS had invited discussions on the technical aspects of the village's construction, particularly regarding development details.
Baca juga: Use best means to negotiateUS import tariffs: President Prabowo
"He suggested that we plan it thoroughly, and the Minister of Religious Affairs (Nasaruddin Umar) has already made a working visit for this purpose," Prabowo stated.
The President then revealed plans to revisit Saudi Arabia to follow up on the proposal, aiming to expedite the Saudi government's approval of the Indonesian village construction plan.
"Should the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia approve it, we will have our own village, and we will make it as efficient as possible," he remarked.
Baca juga: Indonesia, UAE discuss geopolitics, geoeconomics
He pointed out that Indonesia is one of the countries sending the largest number of Hajj and Umrah pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, with numbers exceeding two million annually, and even approaching 2.2 million pilgrims.
Therefore, he emphasized that the government will continue to strive to provide the best services for all Hajj and Umrah pilgrims, including efforts to reduce Hajj costs.
