Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who is on his first state visit to India, met PM Modi on Saturday as both leaders held delegation-level talks at Hyderabad House in Delhi. After the meeting, PM Modi said that Indonesia was the chief guest country on India’s first Republic Day and as the country completes 75 years of the Republic, Indonesia is once again part of this historic occasion.
After the talks, MoUs were shared between India and Indonesia as both countries look to strengthen cooperation in areas such as Fintech, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things and Digital Public Infrastructure.
PM Modi said that during his Indonesia visit in 2018, the India-Indonesia partnership was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. He added that in talks with President Prabowo, both countries agreed to work together in defence, manufacturing, and supply.
PM Modi added, “We have also emphasized cooperation in maritime security, cybersecurity, counter-terrorism, and de-radicalization. The agreement signed today in maritime safety and security will further strengthen our cooperation in crime prevention, search & rescue, and capacity building. Our bilateral trade has grown rapidly in the last few years, and last year it exceeded 30 billion dollars.”
Expressing his gratitude for the honour of being chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations, the Indonesian President said he had “a very intensive, very frank discussion” with PM Modi. He said Indonesia looks forward to accelerating the level of cooperation in the economic field as he added, “I have given direction to my team to accelerate, expedite, and cut bureaucracy, too much overregulation, and to put at the forefront the common bilateral interest of India and Indonesia.”
