NEW DELHI: India and Indonesia on Tuesday elevated their strategic partnership by signing more than a dozen agreements spanning defence, maritime security, critical minerals, artificial intelligence and digital technology, while reaffirming their commitment to jointly develop the strategically located Sabang Port near the entrance to the Strait of Malacca.
The agreements were signed following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, with Modi describing the outcome as the beginning of a “golden chapter” in bilateral ties that would have a positive impact on the 21st century and beyond.
Among the key outcomes were major defence agreements for the supply of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile systems and Astra air-to-air missiles to Indonesia, significantly boosting India’s defence exports while strengthening security cooperation between the two maritime neighbours.
The two leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to jointly develop Sabang Port in Indonesia’s Aceh province, located about 100 nautical miles from Indira Point in India’s Great Nicobar Island. India views the project as a key component of its Indo-Pacific strategy and the two sides agreed to accelerate cooperation initiated in 2018.
According to the joint statement, the Sabang project will include cruise and marine tourism facilities, shipbuilding and ship-repair infrastructure, maritime industries and shore-based services supporting offshore energy activities in the Andaman Sea. The initiative is expected to strengthen connectivity between India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Indonesia’s Sumatra, while generating investment, employment and technology transfer.
Modi said growing mutual trust had strengthened defence, security and maritime cooperation, adding that the two countries would expand collaboration in the blue economy, port development and maritime trade. He also announced closer cooperation between the Indian and Indonesian Coast Guards to enhance maritime safety and security in the Indian Ocean.
The leaders welcomed the expansion of defence ties through cooperation on the BrahMos missile system, jointly developed by India and Russia, as well as India’s indigenous Astra missile programme. They also agreed to deepen collaboration between their defence industries through joint production, technology transfer, technical assistance and capacity building.
On regional issues, Modi and Prabowo called for de-escalation in West Asia and reiterated that disputes should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. According to the joint statement, both sides also stressed the importance of protecting freedom of navigation, global commerce and transit passage through the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Highlighting the importance of resilient technology supply chains, the two countries signed agreements covering critical minerals, steel, artificial intelligence, telecommunications and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). Modi said Indian and Indonesian companies would begin a new partnership in stainless steel and rare earth magnets.
The two sides also signed a memorandum of understanding between their election commissions to strengthen democratic cooperation.
Emphasising the shared vision for the Indo-Pacific, Modi reiterated India’s support for ASEAN centrality, saying dialogue and diplomacy are more important than ever amid global uncertainty. “We have a shared culture in our history, mutual trust in our present and shared prosperity in our future,” he said.
Seeking stronger economic integration, the leaders called for the early conclusion of the review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) to create a more balanced and mutually beneficial trading framework, followed by deeper bilateral trade engagement to further expand commerce between the two countries.
