Indonesia prepares grand welcome for Saudi King Salman's 30 minute visit

The Saudi King will be present at the House only for 30 minutes before leaving at 1.30 pm.

Saudi King
Saudi King Salman, left, and Indonesian President Joko Widodo wave to the media during their meeting at the presidential palace in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 1, 2017. Reuters

Indonesia is all set to welcome the Saudi King Salman bin Abdulazis Al Saud at the House of Representatives' Plenary Hall that has been decorated with hundreds of thousands of flowers. The Saudi King will visit the legislature and speak before thousands of invitees on Thursday.

According to reports, the King is scheduled to arrive at the House at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday. People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Zulkifli Hasan and Regional Representatives Council (DPD) Speaker Mohammad Saleh will welcome him as he steps out of his car.

A red carpet has been stretched out and a special chair and table has been prepared with a special microphone erected for the king to deliver a 10-minute speech before an audience of 1,500 guests, including ministers, ambassadors, political party elites and religious figures.

Once the King enters the lobby of Nusantara building, House Speaker Setya Novanto will wait for the King to sign an official visit document on the prepared table, with a background of gebyok (a Javanese "wooden wall") fully decorated with flowers.

The Jakarta Post reported that a documentary about the former King Faisal's visit to Indonesia 47 years ago will also be screened to mark the event. Setya will deliver a welcome speech that will be followed by the King's speech in Arabic.

The Saudi King will be present at the House only for 30 minutes. He is scheduled to leave at 13.30 pm. The House secretariat general's deputy chairman for hearings, Damayanti, said that the authorities did not prepare any new furniture for the visit.

The aides from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have visited the House four times till date to check on the preparations for the King. "They only want to ensure that all arrangements are made to make the King comfortable, given that he is already 81 years old," Damayanti told The Jakarta Post.

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