PM Modi’s visit to Indonesia will strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries. According to former Foreign Secretary Shringla, the focus of the visit will be on maritime cooperation, trade, connectivity and civilizational relations. PM Modi will also hold bilateral talks with President Probowo.
New Delhi [भारत]July 6 (ANI): Rajya Sabha MP and former Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Sunday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Indonesia is expected to strengthen the India-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The visit will focus on maritime cooperation, trade, connectivity and civilizational ties.
Speaking to ANI, Shringla said the visit comes at an important juncture in bilateral relations. He reminded that the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership was established during Prime Minister Modi’s last visit to Indonesia in 2018. “There was Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Indonesia in 2018, when we signed this comprehensive strategic partnership agreement with Indonesia. Last year, we had President Probowo, who came to India as the chief guest for our Republic Day celebrations. It was a very important visit at that time,” he said.
Focus will be on maritime cooperation
Shringla said that given the strategic location of both the countries along the Strait of Malacca, maritime cooperation is likely to be one of the key outcomes of the visit. “We are really looking forward to a number of outcomes. One of the important outcomes is in the maritime sector. India and Indonesia are maritime neighbours. From this perspective, our development of the Greater Nicobar port facilities and the development of the Sabang port, in which we are also involved, the synergy that will arise from these is important,” he said.
Highlighting the strategic importance of the Strait of Malacca, he said, “After all, the Strait of Malacca, on which both the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Indonesia are located, carries a very large amount of shipping. I believe about 23 percent of the world’s oil passes through this area.”
Defense cooperation will also increase
Shringla also pointed to the growing defense cooperation between the two countries. “We have already participated in naval exercises with Indonesia and Japan. I think PM Modi’s visit will further strengthen the strategic aspects of that relationship,” he said.
Possibility of expansion in economic relations
On economic relations, the former Foreign Secretary said bilateral trade currently stands at around US$23-24 billion and has significant potential for expansion. He said, “Our bilateral trade is about US$23-24 billion. India imports a lot of its natural resources from Indonesia, but also exports a lot of goods like pharmaceuticals and electronics. I think this can be improved, and India can get involved in projects in Indonesia that are big turnkey projects.”
Cooperation in digital and tourism also
Shringla said cooperation could also expand to digital public infrastructure and tourism. “We are also looking at public infrastructure, how to collaborate on the DPI built by India and possibly introduce UPI in Indonesia as well. There are a lot of tourists from both countries, especially Indians, who visit Bali and Jakarta. This can be developed further,” he said.
Emphasis on relations related to civilization and culture
Further, emphasizing the civilizational dimension of the visit, Shringla said PM Modi’s proposed visit to the Prambanan temple complex will strengthen the age-old cultural ties between India and Indonesia. He said, “The Prambanan temple complex is a very important place in the island of Java, and the idea of the visit would also be to see if we can provide assistance in terms of the restoration of that important monument, which dates back to when our two countries were linked together in the past. There is a heritage aspect to it, there are civilizational links between our two countries.”
Referring to India’s cultural ties with Indonesia, he said, “If you go to the middle of Jakarta, you will see a huge statue of Krishna and Arjuna’s chariot. It is a symbol of the close relationship that we have had through history, and how to translate that historical relationship into contemporary cooperation today that is mutually beneficial, I think Prime Minister Modi will try to strengthen this during his visit.”
PM Modi’s itinerary
PM Modi is scheduled to visit Indonesia from July 6 to 8 at the invitation of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, this will be his fourth visit to Indonesia and his first bilateral visit after India and Indonesia upgraded their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2018.
During the visit, the Prime Minister will hold bilateral talks with President Probowo, address the Indian diaspora in Jakarta and visit the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Prambanan temple complex in Yogyakarta. Indonesia is the first stop of Prime Minister Modi’s three-nation tour, which also includes visits to Australia and New Zealand. (ANI)
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