Yogyakarta: India and Indonesia on Tuesday agreed to significantly expand cooperation across defence, maritime security, critical minerals, artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, healthcare, food security and space, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi declaring that the bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership was entering a “golden chapter” that would have a positive impact on the 21st century.
Addressing a joint press statement after talks with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, PM Modi during his state visit to Indonesia said the two countries had concluded a series of agreements spanning defence exchanges, coast guard cooperation, disaster management, supply chain resilience, technology, education and democratic institutions.
The Prime Minister said the growing trust between the two countries was strengthening defence and maritime cooperation. He announced that the coast guards of India and Indonesia would work together to enhance maritime safety and security in the Indian Ocean, while both sides also agreed to deepen collaboration in the blue economy, port development and maritime trade.
In a major push for technology cooperation, Modi said the two countries had signed an agreement to strengthen collaboration in artificial intelligence, telecommunications and digital public infrastructure, while also agreeing to deepen startup partnerships. He announced that the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bengaluru would establish a campus in Indonesia to serve students from across the ASEAN region.
The two sides also expanded cooperation in the space sector through agreements on joint research, technology sharing and capacity building.
Highlighting economic resilience, Modi said India and Indonesia had signed an important agreement to strengthen supply chains for critical minerals and steel, while companies from both countries would begin new partnerships in stainless steel and rare earth magnets.
On development cooperation, Modi said both countries would deepen collaboration in poverty alleviation and welfare delivery. India has shared its experience in implementing the Mid-Day Meal Scheme and Public Distribution System with Indonesia and would now take the partnership to the next level.
He said agreements signed on Tuesday would improve the availability of affordable, high-quality Indian medicines in Indonesia, while India would also contribute to the capacity building of Indonesian doctors and healthcare workers. India will additionally supply domestically developed wheat seeds to support Indonesia’s food security and work with Jakarta on sustainable farming and agricultural technology.
Modi welcomed the planned integration of India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) with Indonesia’s payment system, saying it would improve both ease of doing business and ease of travel.
On cultural ties, the Prime Minister said he would join President Prabowo in Yogyakarta onTuesday to launch the conservation project for the over 1,000-year-old Prambanan Temple. He also announced that India and Indonesia would jointly celebrate the centenary of Rabindranath Tagore’s visit to Indonesia as the “Tagore and Dewantara Year of Cultural and Educational Diplomacy.”
Reaffirming shared democratic values, Modi said a memorandum of understanding between the election commissions of the two countries would strengthen democratic cooperation.
On regional and international issues, Modi said India and Indonesia shared a common outlook on the Indo-Pacific and reiterated New Delhi’s support for ASEAN centrality. Amid global uncertainty, he stressed that dialogue and diplomacy had become more important than ever and reaffirmed India’s support for a Two-State Solution and long-term peace on the Palestine issue.
He expressed confidence that India and Indonesia were entering a “golden era” of partnership, saying their shared history, mutual trust and common aspirations would help realise the vision of “Indonesia Emas” and a developed India.
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