Decision to this regard was taken during the ongoing visit of the Indonesian President
India and Indonesia on Saturday decided to deepen their relations in areas such as security, defence manufacturing, trade, FinTech and AI. The two countries also agreed to work closely in sectors like food security, energy, and disaster management.

This development took place following a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in New Delhi.

Indonesian President Subianto who arrived on his maiden visit to India on January 23, will be the Chief Guest at the 76th Republic Day celebrations on January 26.

In his media statement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the two countries decided to strengthen their cooperation in the defence sector and work together in the areas of defence manufacturing and supply chain.

The Prime Minister said India and Indonesia emphasized on cooperation in Maritime Security, Cyber Security, Counter-Terrorism and De-radicalisation.

“The agreement signed today on Maritime Safety and Security will strengthen our cooperation in the areas of Crime Prevention, Search and Rescue, and Capacity Building. Over the past few years, our bilateral trade has grown rapidly, and last year, this exceeded $30 billion,” PM Modi said.

“India and Indonesia are closely cooperating in various multilateral platforms as well. Indonesia is at the core of our Act East Policy and we welcome Indonesia’s BRICS membership,” the Prime Minister said.

Maintaining that Indonesia is India’s important partner in the ASEAN and the Indo-Pacific region, the Prime Minister said, “Both countries are committed towards maintaining peace, security, prosperity, and rules-based order in this entire region. We agree that Freedom of Navigation must be ensured in accordance with International Laws.”

“In our Act Easy Policy, emphasis has been given to ASEAN unity and centrality. We continue to work together on platforms like G-20, ASEAN, and Indian Ocean Rim Association," PM Modi said.
"Now we are also welcoming the membership of Indonesia in BRICS. At all these forums, we will work in coordination and cooperation for the interests and priorities of the nations in the Global South,” the Prime Minister added.

In his remark, the Prime Minister also said the two leaders also held discussions on diversifying market access and the trade basket.

 “We welcome the CEO Forum meeting held today and the agreements finalised in the private sector. We have also decided to further strengthen cooperation in areas like FinTech, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things and Digital Public Infrastructure,” PM Modi said.   

The two countries also decided to work together in sectors of Energy, Critical Minerals, Science & Technology, Space and STEM Education. It was also agreed that the Disaster Management Authorities of both countries will come together to perform Joint Exercises.

In the sectors of Health and Food Security, India is sharing its learnings and experience from the Mid-Day Meal Scheme and the Public Distribution System with Indonesia, Prime Minister Modi said.

Underlining that the relationship between India and Indonesia dates back thousands of years, PM Modi maintained that “tales inspired from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, and the ‘Bali Jatra’ are living testaments of the age-old cultural and historical ties between our two great nations.”

He also expressed his happiness that after the Buddhist Borobudur Temple, “India will now also contribute towards the conservation efforts of the Prambanan Hindu Temple.” The year 2025 will be celebrated as the Indo-ASEAN Year of Tourism.

The two countries also signed five MoUs in the areas such as health, maritime security, digital development, culture and traditional medicine.