With Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto as Chief Guest at this year’s Republic Day, a 352-member marching and band contingent from the country will be participating in at the Parade on the Kartvya Path in the national capital.
This will be the first time that an Indonesian marching and band contingent will participate in a national day parade abroad.
President Prabowo, who will pay a State Visit to India on January 25-26, will attend the 76th Republic Day parade as Chief Guest.
The entire gamut of bilateral cooperation including political, defence and security cooperation, trade and investment, healthcare, digital technologies, energy, culture, connectivity, tourism and people-to-people relations will be reviewed during his visit.
Several MoUs and announcements are likely to be concluded and the third CEO Forum will be held on the sidelines.
This will be the first visit of President Prabowo to India as Head of State. Sukarno, the first President of Indonesia, was the Chief Guest at India’s first Republic Day in 1950.
President Prabowo will be the fourth Indonesian President to attend India’s Republic Day celebrations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid an official visit to Indonesia in 2018. During the visit, India-Indonesia bilateral ties were elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and a shared vision of India-Indonesia Maritime Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific was also adopted.
Prime Minister Modi met President Prabowo on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in November last year. This was the first meeting between the two leaders.
India and Indonesia are close maritime neighbours with cultural and trade ties spanning over a millennia. The annual Bali Yatra festival, which commemorates the historic voyages by Indian seafarers who would set sail to Bali, is one such example of these cultural linkages.
Indonesia is an important pillar in India’s Act East Policy. There are regular high-level interactions including convening of bilateral mechanisms like Joint Commission Meetings and Foreign Office Consultations.
In terms of economic cooperation, Indonesia is one of India’s largest trading partners in the ASEAN region. Bilateral trade in 2023-24 reached USD 29.40 billion.
Indian investments in Indonesia amount to USD 1.56 billion in infrastructure, power, textiles, steel, automotive, mining, banking and consumer goods sectors.
The Defence Cooperation Agreement signed in 2018 has further strengthened defence ties. There are regular talks between the defence services of the two countries and bilateral Army Exercise ‘Garuda Shakti’ and Joint Naval Exercise ‘Samudra Shakti’ are held regularly.
There is regular conduct of India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT).
India and Indonesia also share robust and active space cooperation dating back to 1997. Two Telemetry, Tracking and Command (TTC) ground stations set up by ISRO at Biak, Papua support Indian satellite and launch vehicle missions.
Apollo Hospital is working with the Indonesian Mayapada Hospital group to build a green hospital in the new capital Ibu Kota Nusantara(IKN) for clinical collaboration, providing capacity building, technical training, hospital management services and collaboration to make affordable and quality healthcare available to Indonesians.
Exports of pharmaceuticals and medical devices to Indonesia have risen from USD 167.01 million in 2020-21 to USD 230.41 million in 2023-24.
Indonesia is a major recipient of ITEC and TCS of Colombo Plan scholarships. ICCR offers around 20 scholarships every year to Indonesian students for pursuing higher studies in India. ITEC offers around 100 slots to Indonesia every year.
Direct flight connectivity between India and Indonesia commenced in August 2023. Routes include Mumbai-Jakarta, Delhi- Bali and Bangaluru-Bali sectors. India has emerged as the second largest source of tourists (more than 6,00,000) to Bali in 2023-24.
There are approximately 1,50,000 Persons of Indian Origin whose ancestors migrated to Indonesia in the 19th and 20th centuries. There are around 14,000 Indian Nationals (NRI) living in Indonesia including entrepreneurs, engineers, chartered accountants, IT professionals, consultants and bankers.
President Prabowo’s visit will provide an opportunity for the leaders to undertake a comprehensive review of bilateral ties as well as to discuss regional and global issues of mutual interest.
