REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BOGOR -- During his Indonesia state visit, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan tasted typical archipelagic fruits -- durian (Durio zibethinus), salak (Salacca zalacca), and mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana) -- at Bogor Presidential Palace.
"Oh yeah, eating durian, enjoying the treat apart from salak at the veranda (of the palace)," Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi stated at the Bogor Presidential Palace on Wednesday.
Marsudi elaborated that the treats offered by the palace to Prince Sheikh Mohamed during a discussion at the veranda comprised fruits. Sheikh Mohamed was inquisitive to know what kind of fruit was on the table at the veranda.
Responding to this query, the foreign affairs minister and Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Panjaitan were quick to introduce the fruit to Sheikh Mohamed as salak by peeling it. In addition to salak, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi also sampled durian and mangosteen.
According to the foreign minister, the durian served did not emit an overwhelming smell. President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) picked up Sheikh Mohamed at Soekarno Hatta Airport and invited him to a tour of the Hotel Indonesia roundabout in Jakarta to see up-close the development process underway in Indonesia.
A state welcome ceremony was also held at the Bogor Presidential Palace. President Jokowi and Prince Mohamed, who is on a day-long state visit to Indonesia, held a one-on-one discussion. Nine memoranda of cooperation (MoUs) and three MoUs between businesspersons were inked during the visit.