Jaishankar meets Indonesian President Subianto

New Delhi, Jan 24 (PTI) Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto gracing the upcoming Republic-Day celebrations as the chief guest will be a fitting celebration of the cherished friendship between India and Indonesia, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Friday.

Jaishankar made the comments after meeting the visiting leader.

The Indonesian president arrived here on Thursday night on a three-day visit, primarily to attend India’s 76th Republic-Day celebrations at Kartavya Path on Sunday.

“Pleased to call on President Prabowo Subianto @prabowo of Indonesia at the start of his State Visit to India,” Jaishankar said on X.

“Value his guidance and positive sentiments for the development of our multifaceted bilateral ties. President @prabowo’s participation as Chief Guest in India’s 76th Republic Day will be a fitting celebration of our cherished friendship,” the external affairs minister added.

The Indonesian leader will hold wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.

The entire gamut of bilateral cooperation, including in the areas of defence and security, trade and investment, healthcare, energy, connectivity, tourism and people-to-people relations, will be reviewed at the talks, people familiar with the matter said.

Several MoUs (memoranda of understanding) and announcements are likely to be concluded during the visit, they said.

It is Subianto’s first visit to India as the head of state.

He will be the fourth Indonesian president to attend India’s Republic-Day celebrations. Sukarno, the first president of Indonesia, was the chief guest at India’s first Republic-Day celebrations in 1950.

A 352-member marching and band contingent from Indonesia will be participating in the Republic-Day parade at Kartavya Path.

This will be the first time that an Indonesian marching and band contingent will participate in a national-day parade abroad.

There has been an upswing in the India-Indonesia ties in the last few years.

Modi travelled to Indonesia in 2018 during which the India-Indonesia ties were elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The Shared Vision of India-Indonesia Maritime Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific was also adopted.

India and Indonesia are close maritime neighbours, with the cultural and trade ties between the two countries spanning over a millennia.

The Southeast Asian nation is also an important pillar in India’s Act East Policy.

It is one of India’s largest trading partners in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region.

The volume of the India-Indonesia trade in 2023 was recorded at USD 29.4 billion.

Indian investments in Indonesia amount to USD 1.56 billion in the infrastructure, power, textiles, steel, automotive, mining, banking and consumer goods sectors.

The bilateral defence and security ties have also witnessed steady expansion after the signing of a defence cooperation agreement in 2018.

Indonesia is also home to approximately 1.5 lakh people of Indian origin, whose ancestors had migrated to that country in the 19th and 20th centuries.

There are around 14,000 Indian nationals (NRIs) living in Indonesia, including entrepreneurs, engineers, chartered accountants, IT professionals, consultants and bankers, according to official data.