External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Indonesian counterpart Sugiono reviewed bilateral relations and discussed the way forward for multilateral cooperation on Sunday, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Jakarta next month which is expected to focus on strengthening trade and security ties.
Jaishankar and Sugiono, a close aide of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, co-chaired the 8th bilateral meeting of the joint committee in New Delhi and discussed political relations, defence, security, maritime issues, trade, fintech, pharmaceuticals, fertilisers, bio-minerals, tourism and education. The joint committee meeting was held after a break of four years.
“Our comprehensive strategic partnership has witnessed strong growth in recent years,” Jaishankar said in a social media post after the meeting. “Views were also exchanged on regional developments, enhancing multilateral coordination and deepening India-ASEAN relations.”
Indonesia looks forward to Modi’s upcoming visit, which will be “an important opportunity to further deepen our cooperation and bring tangible benefits to our two peoples,” Sugiono said on social media. He listed trade, maritime security, digital connectivity, infrastructure and health among Indonesia’s main priorities in the bilateral partnership.
He also said in televised remarks during the meeting that Sunday’s talks were expected to produce “a lot of results” and prepare for Modi’s visit to Jakarta.
Indonesia is scheduled to be part of Modi’s three-nation tour in July, which will also take him to New Zealand and Australia. The trip comes as India and Indonesia have signaled their intention to play a greater role in shaping the landscape of the Indo-Pacific region, including through joint initiatives with Australia.
Prabowo was the chief guest at the Indian Republic Day celebration in January 2025. Maritime security cooperation between the two countries has grown rapidly in recent years. The two sides are also in advanced negotiations on the sale of the BrahMos cruise missile system, jointly developed by India and Russia, to the Indonesian Armed Forces.
Prabowo’s visit to India last year “provided renewed momentum” to bilateral relations, and the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to close cooperation and coordination in regional and multilateral forums, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
The ministry said Indonesia is a “key pillar” of India’s ‘East’ policy and that the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership continues to grow across existing and new areas of cooperation.
Indonesia is currently India’s second-largest trading partner in Asean, and two-way trade has increased from $4.3 billion in 2005-06 to $28.15 billion in 2024-25. India is the second largest buyer of coal and the largest buyer of crude palm oil from Indonesia.
