REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesia's former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has committed to attend the state palace's invitation from now on, after his absence since President Joko Widodo took the administration in 2014. "I told him that I could not attend the events several times because of certain specific reasons," he told the press after a meeting with Widodo at the Merdeka State Palace here on Thursday.

The sixth president of Indonesia had been absent for some important state events, including the commemoration of the 71th Indonesian Independent Day last year. "But, Insha'Allah (may God allow it) as long as it is possible, I will be delighted to attend them," he stated.

Prior to the meeting with Jokowi, SBY had held at least two press conferences to announce his discontent towards Jokowi's administration. Moreover, SBY often tweeted that he and his family were treated unfairly by the current government.

He also claimed that some presidential aides of Jokowi had been preventing him for meeting the president, a statement which the State Palace denied. After the meeting, SBY, who is also the general chairman of Democratic Party, noted that the confusions that had happened between them were only because of miscommunication. "It is because we rarely meet each other, and maybe there were some information that was not fit for discussion," he noted.

SBY remarked that they also discussed current domestic and international issues during the one-hour meeting. 

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