Jakarta, Jul 7: India on Tuesday agreed to supply BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and Astra air-to-air missiles to Indonesia, marking a significant expansion of defence ties as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Prabowo Subianto held talks to ramp up bilateral relations and ways to ensure a peaceful Indo-Pacific.
The two sides inked 14 agreements to enhance cooperation in a range of areas, including critical minerals and steel supply chain, maritime security, medicines, education, outer space, research and innovation, telecommunication and food security, against the backdrop of increasing geopolitical upheavals.
“A golden era is now at the threshold for our two nations,” Modi said at the end of his talks with the Indonesian leader.
Modi landed in Jakarta on Monday to a red-carpet welcome in the first leg of his three-nation tour – that will also cover Australia and New Zealand – to shore up cooperation in sectors such as trade, security and rare-earth minerals under the framework of the India-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of 2018.
In his media statement, Modi said India reiterated his call for navigating “global turbulence” through dialogue and diplomacy, and asserted New Delhi’s support for a two-state solution to the Palestine issue.
The pacts sealed after the Modi-Subianto talks included one on supply of an unspecified number of BrahMos missiles and another on Astra beyond-visual range missiles.
It is perhaps the first time that two Indian defence exports deals, worth over USD 600 million, were announced in presence of the prime minister.
Both weapon systems played a major role during Operation Sindoor last year.
The BrahMos missile deal with Indonesia came after India inked similar pacts with Vietnam and the Philippines.
The missile pacts as well as another decision on implementation of an agreement on maritime safety and security came against the backdrop of rising concerns in South East Asia over China’s increasing military muscle-flexing in the resource-rich South China Sea and beyond.
Both sides also deliberated on the overall situation in the Indo-Pacific.
President Subianto underlined the importance of an Indo-Pacific region that is open and transparent, with an order-based international law.
Modi said, “There is strong synergy in our respective outlooks on the Indo-Pacific. India has always attached special importance to ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) centrality.”
It was also decided that Indonesia will deploy a Liaison Officer at India’s Integrated Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR).
Modi said the growing trust between the two countries is strengthening cooperation in defence, security and the maritime domain.
“Today, we agreed to further enhance collaboration in defence exchanges, disaster management, and industrial cooperation,” he said.
“Our two Coast Guards will now work together to enhance maritime safety and security in the Indian Ocean. As two close maritime nations, we have also decided to deepen our cooperation in the blue economy, port development, and maritime trade,” he said.
India and Indonesia also agreed to jointly develop the strategically-located Sabang Port, which overlooks the Strait of Malacca and is 100 miles away from India’s Great Nicobar port project.
In another significant move, New Delhi decided to invest in the manufacturing of steel, nickel and rare earth permanent magnets in Indonesia.
“In today’s world, supply chain resilience in technology has become critically important. We have also concluded an important agreement to strengthen supply chain resilience in the areas of critical minerals and steel,” Modi said.
“In addition, our companies are embarking on a new phase of partnership in stainless steel and rare earth magnets,” he said.
The prime minister said India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) will soon be integrated with Indonesia’s payment system and it will further enhance both the ease of doing business and the ease of travel between the two countries.
“Our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, established in 2018, is reaching new heights today. We are making significant strides across every domain of cooperation, including development, security, technology, culture, and education,” Modi said.
“I am confident that today marks the beginning of a golden new chapter in the India-Indonesia partnership. This new chapter will have a profound and positive impact on the world of the 21st century and on humanity as a whole,” he said.
Modi also announced a decision to set up a campus of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore in Indonesia.
The two sides also decided to enhance cooperation in areas of blue economy, maritime trade and port development.
India and Indonesia also decided to boost cooperation in the space sector. “We have taken important decisions today to advance joint research, technology sharing, and capacity building in the space sector,” Modi said.
The prime minister and the Indonesian president also discussed various global challenges including the situation in West Asia.
“In this period of global turbulence, India believes that the role of dialogue and diplomacy has become more important than ever before,” said Modi, adding: “On the issue of Palestine, we continue to support a two-state solution and the pursuit of lasting peace.”
In his remarks, the prime minister also touched upon people-to-people ties between the two countries.
“Our two countries will also celebrate, with great enthusiasm, the centenary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s historic visit to Indonesia. Indonesia’s remarkable journey of nation-building owes much to the visionary educator and its first Minister of Education, Ki Hajar Dewantara,” he said.
“His educational philosophy was profoundly influenced by the ideas of Gurudev Tagore. In recognition of this shared intellectual and cultural legacy, India and Indonesia will commemorate this centenary as the Tagore–Dewantara Year of Cultural and Educational Diplomacy,” Modi said. (PTI)
