New Delhi [India], July 6 (ANI): Rajya Sabha MP and former Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Sunday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Indonesia is expected to strengthen the India-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, with a focus on maritime cooperation, trade, connectivity and civilisational ties.
Speaking to ANI, Shringla said the visit comes at an important juncture in bilateral relations, recalling that the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership was established during Prime Minister Modi’s previous visit to Indonesia in 2018.
“We had Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Indonesia in 2018 when we concluded this Comprehensive Strategic Partnership agreement with Indonesia. Last year, we had President Prabowo, who came down to India as the Chief Guest of our Republic Day celebrations. It was a very significant visit at that time,” he said.
Shringla said maritime cooperation is likely to be one of the major outcomes of the visit, given the strategic location of both countries along the Malacca Strait.
“We are really looking forward to many outcomes from what I can understand. One of the important outcomes is in the maritime domain. India and Indonesia are maritime neighbours. From that perspective, our development of the Greater Nicobar Port facilities and the development of Sabang Port, in which we are also involved, the synergies that we will create are important,” he said.
Highlighting the strategic importance of the Malacca Strait, he noted, “After all, the Malacca Strait, on which both the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Indonesia are placed, accounts for a very significant amount of shipping. I believe something like 23 per cent of the world’s oil flows in this area.”
Shringla also pointed to growing defence cooperation between the two countries.
“We’ve already participated in naval exercises with Indonesia and also with Japan. I think PM Modi’s visit will consolidate the strategic aspects of that relationship,” he said.
On economic ties, the former Foreign Secretary said bilateral trade currently stands at around USD 23-24 billion and has significant potential for expansion.
“We have a fairly significant bilateral trade of some USD 23-24 billion. India imports a lot of its natural resources from Indonesia, but also exports a lot of items like pharmaceuticals and electronics to Indonesia. I think that can be improved upon, and India can get involved in projects in Indonesia which are larger turnkey projects,” he said.
Shringla added that cooperation could also expand in digital public infrastructure and tourism.
“We are also looking at public infrastructure, how to collaborate on the DPI that India has built upon and possibly introduce UPI also in Indonesia. There are a lot of tourists from both countries, especially Indians, going to Bali and Jakarta. That can be developed further,” he said.
Furthermore, emphasising the civilisational dimension of the visit, Shringla said PM Modi’s proposed visit to the Prambanan Temple complex would reinforce the centuries-old cultural links between India and Indonesia.
“Prambanan Temple complex is a very significant one in Java Island, and the idea of the visit will also be to see if we can provide support in terms of the restoration of that important monument, which goes back to the times that our two countries were linked together in the past. There’s the heritage aspect of it, civilizational ties between our two countries,” he said.
Referring to Indonesia’s cultural links with India, he added, “If you go to the middle of Jakarta, you will see an enormous statue of the chariot of Krishna and Arjuna on it. That is a symbol of the close connection that we have had through history, and how to translate that historical tie today into contemporary cooperation, which is mutually beneficial, is what I think Prime Minister Modi will be seeking to consolidate during his visit.”
PM Modi is scheduled to visit Indonesia from July 6 to 8 at the invitation of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, this will be his fourth visit to Indonesia and his first bilateral visit since India and Indonesia elevated their ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2018.
During the visit, the Prime Minister will hold bilateral talks with President Prabowo, address the Indian diaspora in Jakarta and visit the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Prambanan Temple complex in Yogyakarta. Indonesia is the first leg of Prime Minister Modi’s three-nation tour, which also includes visits to Australia and New Zealand. (ANI)
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