RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto received the Director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Kash Patel, in Prabowo's Jakarta residence on Wednesday, July 23, 2026. According to the Presidential Secretariat on Thursday, the two discussed cooperation between Indonesia and the United States to repatriate Indonesian cultural artifacts that had been illegally trafficked abroad.

"The meeting was an important momentum in strengthening cooperation between Indonesia and the United States, especially in efforts to return Indonesian cultural artifacts that were illegally smuggled abroad," the secretariat said.

In addition, as stated by Minister of Culture Fadli Zon, Patel handed over cultural artifacts from the Papua region to Prabowo. Fadli said the handover was part of the two countries' repatriation efforts.

"Besides, of course, there were friendly discussions, and he also officially brought cultural artifacts that were a collaboration between the Indonesian government through the Ministry of Culture and the FBI, namely the return of cultural objects, cultural artifacts, that were smuggled into the United States illegally and after conducting provenance research, the objects were then returned and brought directly by Mr. Kash Patel to President Prabowo Subianto," Fadli said after the meeting.

Minister Fadli said the artifacts, whose specific details were not disclosed, are part of the cultural heritage of the Dani, Asmat, and Sentani tribes. They are from the provinces of Highland Papua, South Papua, and Papua, respectively.

"I think these are very valuable objects because this repatriation process is our effort to restore our cultural sovereignty," he said.

The artifacts will be exhibited at the Indonesian National Museum in Jakarta, allowing the public to view and learn about them. Fadli claimed that the return of these cultural artifacts is part of the government's commitment to restoring national cultural sovereignty and enriching public knowledge of the nation's historical heritage.

"I think this is part of an effort to restore our cultural sovereignty to perfect cultural knowledge, and we, of course, will exhibit this at the National Museum," Fadli said.

The Minister also said that cooperation between Indonesia and the FBI on the return of cultural objects has been ongoing. The bureau has several times assisted in the return of various important stolen Indonesian artifacts, including bronze statues and artifacts from several cultural sites.

"We hope that cooperation with the FBI, particularly regarding the repatriation and restitution of cultural objects, will be strengthened in the future, with support from the State Secretariat and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," Fadli said.