Jakarta: In a strong reaffirmation of India’s growing ties with southeast Asia, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that India and the Asean regional bloc can jointly ensure peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.
“In today’s changing scenario in the Indo-Pacific region, we (India and Indonesia) are geostrategically located,” Modi said in joint address to the media with Indonesian President Joko Widodo following a bilateral summit here.
“Under India’s Act East Policy, we have SAGAR – Security and Growth for All in the Region – that matches with President Widodo’s Global Maritime Fulcrum,” he said.
While Modi’s SAGAR initiative underscores India’s engagement in the Indian Ocean region, Jokowi’s Global Maritime Fulcrum seeks to capitalise on Indonesia’s geographic position to make the southeast Asian nation a “fulcrum” of Indo-Pacific maritime activity.
Highlighting India’s growing ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), Modi said: “The partnership between India and Asean can guarantee peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.”
The Asean comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
India is also part of a recently revived quad, including the US, Japan and Australia, that seeks to work for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
In a significant announcement, Modi said that India and Indonesia have decided to elevate their bilateral ties to that of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
He also condemned the terror attacks in Indonesia earlier this month.
“I express my and the people of India’s deep grief in the recent terror attacks in Indonesia that killed claimed the lives of innocent people,” the Indian Prime Minister said.
“India strongly condemns this and stands in solidarity with the people and government of Indonesia.”
At least 11 people, including a suicide bomber, were killed on May 13 in bomb attacks on three churches in the Indonesian city of Surabaya.
A fourth bomb blast near a police station in East Java killed three persons later the same day.
Modi said that it is time for the world to come together in the fight against terrorism.
Stating that India and Indonesia share strong cultural linkages, he said that 2019 will mark 70 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
He said that for creating employment for the large youth populations of the two countries, India and Indonesia can learn a lot from each other in terms of education and skill development.
Prior to the bilateral summit, Modi and Widodo held a tete-a-tete on the verandah of the Merdeka Palace here following a guard of honour to the visiting dignitary.
Modi arrived here on Tuesday on the first leg of his five-day three-nation tour of southeast Asia that will also see him visiting Malaysia and Singapore.
This is Prime Minister Modi’s first visit to Indonesia as Prime Minister during which there had been a significant boost to their strategic ties as India and Indonesia signed an agreement on defence cooperation among 15 others.
These agreements were signed following a bilateral summit between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indonesian President Joko Widodo here on Wednesday.
The agreement on defence cooperation calls for “regular bilateral dialogue and consultation on strategic defence and military issues of common interest, exchange of strategic information, military education, training and exercise, cooperation among the armed forces including army, navy, air force and aerospace, humanitarian aid, disaster relief, peace-keeping and medical services among others”.
The agreement assumes significance given the two countries’ strategic interests in the Info-Pacific region.
The two sides also signed a framework agreement on cooperation in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes.
According to this agreement, both sides will work together on space sciences, exploration of outer space, use of space technology, monitoring of earth’s environment from outer space and remote sensing, use of integrated Biak ground station of Indonesia for mutual benefit, hosting of Indian ground station in Indonesia, support for launch services of LAPAN (Indonesia’s National Institute of Aeronautics and Space)-made satellites and joint research and development activities in space technology among others.
The two sides also signed 12 memorandums of understanding (MoUs), including on scientific and technological cooperation, technical cooperation in the railways sector, health cooperation, and on promoting economic, trade and technological cooperation.
Both sides signed a separate plan of activities to celebrate to 70 years of diplomatic relations in 2019-20.
Modi arrived here on Tuesday on the first leg of his five-day three-nation tour of southeast Asia that will also see him visiting Malaysia and Singapore.