Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz on Wednesday began his nine-day trip to Indonesia, the first such visit by a Saudi monarch to the country in almost 50 years. The king, however, did not travel light for his trip which had all the royal splendour one can expect from a Saudi king.
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The monarch was reportedly accompanied by around 1,000 people, including princes and ministers who were seen disembarking from his official plane at a Jakarta airport. The royals were received by Indonesian President Joko Widodo and a guard of honour at the airport. The visit by King Salman is being made to strengthen economic times with the world's most populous Muslim-majority country.
Reports state that the king has flown in 460 tons of equipment along with him for the visit, which includes Mercedes limousines and escalators for the king to descend from his plane. Most of the gear has been transported to the resort island of Bali, where the king is scheduled to take a holiday after visiting the Indonesian capital.
"This is an extremely historic visit for us," Indonesian Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung was quoted as saying.
Saudi Arabia is the Arab world's largest economy and exports more oil than any other country in the world. However, the future seems bleak for the nation ever since 2014 which marked a drop in global oil prices, leaving the Saudi kingdom with a huge budget deficit and billions of dollars in debt to private firms, particularly construction companies.
However, the oil-dependent nation has begun preparing for the life ahead by pursuing its 'Vision 2030' economic diversification effort. The nation's goal is to broaden its investment and business base by placing more Saudis in the private sector than ever before, according to AFP.
King Salman is scheduled to hold talks with the Indonesian leader at his official residence in Bogor. The king will give a speech to Parliament on Thursday, which could entail economic pacts and business deals between the countries.
Reports state that a series of deals are also set to be signed on issues ranging from security, to health and education during the monarch's visit to Jakarta. Indonesia during King Salman's trip will also seek approval to send more citizens to the annual hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, which is home to Islam's holiest sites.
The monarch will also spend several days in Bali with his entourage and they are set to stay in five different luxury hotels in the popular tourist site. King Salman is also scheduled to visit Japan, China and the Maldives during his three-week Asian tour.
