September 13, 2026 | 04:06 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Prabowo said Indonesia should be able to stand on its own rather than depend on other countries or be dictated by their interests. He said resilience and self-reliance are essential for any country.Prabowo made the remarks during a restricted session titled “Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism” at the 2026 BRICS Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, India, on Saturday, September 12, 2026.He said a country's strength begins with its ability to meet the basic needs of its people, including food, energy and education, while providing opportunities to improve their welfare.“We do not like to be dictated to by one or two powers. We must be resilient and then we'll become really independent. We have strengthened our foundations to reserve peace and build trust,” Prabowo said.Prabowo said cooperation among BRICS countries could strengthen the position and resilience of each member state.“By standing together, we also become stronger. Strength always begins at home with our people, with our ability to feed our people, secure the energy they need, educate our children, and give them the opportunity to prosper. That is how we build a resilient nation and become truly independent,” he said.The former defense minister under President Joko Widodo said BRICS could continue expanding and strengthening cooperation in areas that directly affect the resilience of its member states.He highlighted energy as a strategic area, particularly by strengthening connectivity between energy systems and energy security across regions.“Energy is one clear example. We are connecting our energy systems and strengthening energy security across our regions to power our economies and build lasting resilience,” Prabowo said.The 2026 BRICS Summit is themed “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation, and Sustainability,” reflecting members' efforts to strengthen resilience, promote innovation, expand cooperation and advance sustainable development.The summit was attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung.Also attending were Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomar Tokayev, Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Kuchkarov and Ugandan Vice President Jessica Rose Epel Alupo.
