Indonesia- India relations
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YEAR-WISE DEVELOPMENTS
2018
Defence and maritime cooperation
Indonesia, India plan to develop strategic Indian Ocean port, May 30, 2018: The Times of India
HIGHLIGHTS
Indonesia and India pledged to step up defence and maritime cooperation.
India and Indonesia will develop infrastructure, including at Sabang Island.
Analysts say India-Indonesia move comes amid concerns over China's rising maritime influence in the region.
Indonesia and India pledged on Wednesday to step up defence and maritime cooperation, with plans to develop a strategic Indonesian naval port in the Indian Ocean, the leaders of the two countries said after meeting in Jakarta.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo met Prime Minister Narendra Modi + to discuss, among other issues, developing infrastructure and an economic zone at Sabang, on the tip of Sumatra island and at the mouth of the Malacca Strait, one of the busiest shipping channels for global trade.
"India is a strategic defence partner...and we will continue to advance our cooperation in developing infrastructure, including at Sabang Island and the Andaman Islands," Widodo told a news conference after the meeting at the presidential palace. Analysts say the move comes amid concerns over China's rising maritime influence in the region, and is part of Modi's "Act East" policy of developing stronger ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
"The India-ASEAN partnership can be a force to guarantee peace and progress in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond," PM Modi said in a statement read in Hindi.
Modi, in 2018, invited the leaders of all ten ASEAN nations to attend New Delhi’s Republic Day parade, the biggest such gathering of foreign leaders at the annual event. There has been tension in Southeast Asia over the disputed South China Sea, a busy waterway claimed in most part by China.
Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have conflicting claims in the area, through which about $3 trillion worth of sea-borne goods passes every year.
While not a claimant, Indonesia has clashed with Beijing over fishing rights around the Natuna Islands and expanded its military presence there. It has also renamed the northern reaches of its exclusive economic zone, to reassert its sovereignty.
PM Modi, who is making his first trip to Indonesia, also visited the Istiqlal mosque in the capital of the world’s biggest Muslim-majority country.
The Indian PM flies to Malaysia on Thursday to meet recently elected Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad before heading to neighbouring Singapore to address a regional security forum, the Shangri-La Dialogue.
Last week, Indonesia's chief maritime affairs minister, Luhut Pandjaitan, said the existing port at Sabang, which is 40 metres (131 ft) deep, could be developed to accommodate both commercial vessels and submarines, according to media.
Asked about Indian investment in Sabang, Indian foreign ministry official Preeti Saran said New Delhi was interested in helping build infrastructure across Southeast Asia.
"There have been discussions about building infrastructure, it's not just seaports, but airports," she said. "There would be a lot of interest among Indian companies."
Widodo and Modi also signed pacts on cooperation in the pharmaceuticals and techonology industries.
Indian PM’s visit strengthens ties
India, Indonesia join hands to counter expansionist China, May 31, 2018: The Times of India
From: India, Indonesia join hands to counter expansionist China, May 31, 2018: The Times of India
To Develop Strategic Port, Step Up Defence, Maritime Ties
India and Indonesia will develop a naval port in Sabang, a strategic location on the tip of Sumatra island and at the entrance of the vital Malacca Straits. The move, which comes at a time when China is expanding its maritime footprint in the region, was the most significant decision among a series of other pacts the two sides signed after talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joko Widodo during the PM’s first visit to Indonesia.
The two countries also agreed to step up defence and maritime cooperation, with both countries agreeing to align their national maritime policies — India’s Indo-Pacific policy with Indonesia’s policy of ‘global maritime fulcrum’.
Modi announced a 30-day free visa for Indonesian citizens and invited the diaspora to travel to their country of origin to experience the ‘New India’. “Many of you may never have been to India. I invite you all to come to India for the Kumbh Mela in Prayag next year,” Modi said.
Both countries are finding convergence on the maritime front, largely due to fears of China’s expansionism.
The joint statement also said they would negotiate the resolution of delimitation of maritime boundaries, which they said “should be based on the principles of international law including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.” China has encroached on Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone with its ‘nine-dash-line’, to the extent that Indonesia has now renamed its sea the Natuna Sea.
The two countries issued a separate document on a “Shared Vision of India-Indonesia Maritime Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific”, to showcase a joint point of view and a roadmap for cooperation in economic, defence and cultural fields. It’s the first time India has worked out such a shared vision with any Asean country, outlining comprehensive areas of maritime cooperation and security architecture in the Indo-Pacific.
The countries stressed the “importance of achieving a free, open, transparent, rulesbased, peaceful, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region, where sovereignty and territorial integrity, international law, , freedom of navigation and overflight, sustainable development and an open, free, fair and mutually beneficial trade and investment system are respected.” That places their maritime policies on a different trajectory from China’s.
When he was not flying kites with Jokowi, Modi visited the grand Istiqlal Mosque, the largest in south-east Asia, accompanied by Jokowi. Earlier, he visited the Arjuna Wijaya Chariot, which depicts a scene from the Mahabharata.
2025: President Subianto’s R Day visit
January 27, 2025: The Times of India
New Delhi : Amid tensions in South China Sea, PM Narendra Modi and visiting Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto reaffirmed the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, stability, maritime safety and security, freedom of navigation and overflight in the region, and other lawful uses of the seas, including unimpeded lawful maritime commerce.
In a joint statement issued a day after their bilateral meeting, they also sought peaceful resolutions of disputes, in accordance with universally recognised principles of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
India to support Indonesia’s def upgrade plans
They supported the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of the Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) in its entirety and look forward to the early conclusion of an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) that is in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS,” said the joint statement issued a day after the bilateral meeting.
“PM Modi and visiting Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto agreed to continue their combined efforts for safety of navigation in Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS) through existing mechanisms to enable unhindered economic growth of the region,” it added.
The bilateral meeting on Saturday saw the heads of two states seeking stronger defence cooperation and the joint statement welcomed the ratification of the agreement concerning Cooperation in the field of Defence (DCA), expressing confidence that this would lead to further deepening of defence ties.
They also agreed to soon have a meeting of the defence ministers to discuss implementation of DCA. India agreed to support the ongoing defence modernisation programmes of Indonesia through experience and expertise sharing. Both of them also strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing cooperation in combating this threat through bilateral and multilateral initiatives.
They underscored the importance of strengthening global efforts to combat terrorism, including eliminating terror financing and preventing recruitment of terrorists, without any double standards. “Both emphasised the need for all countries to work collectively to deny safe havens and support networks to terrorist groups, in accordance with international obligations and commitments,” said the statement, calling upon all countries to take concerted action against UN-proscribed terrorist organisations and their affiliates. “Recognising the evolving nature of security challenges, the two agreed to work together in preventing spread of online radicalisation and strengthening mechanisms to counter extremist ideologies,” it said.
