img

On this 76th Republic Day of India on 26th January, 2025, the Indian Republic has extended an invitation to the Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto for being the Chief Guest. This is the first time, not just for the ceremony but for the possibility to reestablish the working relations between two countries which have been known to each other for hundreds of years. However, it is remembered that first of all the Republic Day of India in 1950 the president of Indonesia Sukarno had participated in this and became the inspiration for the new generation of friendly cooperation.

President Prabowo’s visit, which is the first state visit of an Indonesian president to India for nine years, has a tight schedule of working meetings that are designed to discuss the current state of cooperation between the countries as well as pressing issues of the regional and global significance of the relations. The visit is likely to promote multilateralizing relations on various scales such as securing trade agreement, defence agreement, food security, energy security, health security and maritime security.

Shared Heritage: Millennia of Cultural and Trade Ties

Historically, there had always been flow of people, ideas, cultures, and merchandise between India and Indonesia for more than 2000 years. Intertwingement is observed in independence of Indonesian people’s relativization of Indian influence in their culture, language, and religion, as well as in the Ramayana and Mahabharata legends and the ornate architecture of the Prambanan temple complex. Almost in all areas where historical ties are apparent, current relations are deepening through positive contributions in trade relations, strategic partnership, and cultural exchanges.

Being regional maritime neighbors across the Indian Ocean both states have an interest in maintaining the freedom of use of the seas. They are preoccupied with defending their respectively sovereignty and integrity ofterritories as well as supporting stability in the Indo-Pacific. This vision of sharing is evident in their increasing cooperation in fields related to maritime as well as defense.

Part of the Larger ASEAN Outreach

It also just as important for India’s engagement with the broader ASEAN region, which has been invigorated under PM Narendra Modi’s Act East Policy. It was started in the year 2014 and is a modification of the earlier Look East policy, which lays stress on economic,-cultural and strategic relations with South East Asia. An objective is to transform India into a major actor in the Indo-Pacific region, which is needed for maintaining the stability of the balance of power in the region.

Indonesia, as ASEAN’s largest economy and most populous member with a population of approximately 290 million, plays a pivotal role in the bloc’s decision-making. It is, for instance, the largest Muslim majority country in the world and this simply makes it strategic. Indonesian relations with India in the contexts of ASEAN integration also correspond to the Indonesian and Indian visions of the ASEAN-led Indo-Pacific that the countries in the region need to be developed in accordance with rules and without undermining the ASEAN centrality.

Strengthening Economic Ties

Indonesia contributes to around 10.15% of India’s total trade with the member countries of ASEAN, in which total trade stood at approximately $29.40 billion in 2023–24. Currently there is $1.56 billion in Indian Investment in Indonesia being in mining and infrastructure sectors and in manufacturing. However, even in such a great trade turnover the experts still see a lot of potential for further increase.

During the visit of the Indonesian President Prabowo, the Indonesian firms are likely to provide fresh approaches to cooperation in advance areas like food, energy, and health security. While Indonesia is expanding its trading partners, India can expand its economic engagement in this region, although growing worries over increased China aggressiveness in Southeast Asia has emerged recently.

Defence Cooperation: A Key Pillar

The defence sector has come out to be the foundation of India-Indonesia relations because both nations have placed much importance on bolstering their military complex in light of the new dynamic security environment. In April 2018, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Indonesia, India and Indonesia put their defence ties on firmer footing and enhanced the bilateral relation to a strategic level by signing the Defence Cooperation Agreement.

Indonesia self interest to modernise its military has created avenues for enhanced defence cooperation between Indonesia and India. Indonesia is one of the most lucrative possible clients of Russian weapons where one of the biggest possible contracts is the purchase of the BrahMos missile system. India and Russia jointly worked on the supersonic missile system which is already been sold to Philippines; inserting India as a main defence exporter. If the deal is completed it will provide a new dimensions to India defence manufacturing industry and solidify India’s position as a reliable defence trading partner in the South East Asia region.

Maintaining the bilateral relationships in a security perspective India and Indonesia needs, both regularly hold defence and maritime exercise. For instance:

India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrols (IND-INDO CORPAT): Since 2002, these exercises are carried out twice a year to successfully counter piracy and other illicit processes in the Indian Ocean Region’s security.
Exercise Samudra Shakti: Designed for improving mutual cooperation and interaction between Indian and Indonesian naviest.
Garuda Shakti: It improves countering-terrorism capacity and mutual understanding in operations by the two militaries through the bilateral joint special forces exercise.

These defence exercises are also aimed ultimately at enhancing mutual confidence between the countries involved as well as fortifying their collective capability in meeting emerging and ongoing security challenges, including in the so called SCS and the larger Asia-Pacific region.

Strategic Importance of Sabang Port

Another major measure in the growth of India-Indonesia relations has been the construction of the Sabang deep-sea port in Indonesia’s Aceh province. Being situated only 500 Kms away from the Malacca strait, Sabang port has a great geopolitical advantage for the Indian Navy. It is about 376 NMI from Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar islands and enables India to extend the country’s presence in the region and offset other more forcible powers.

It is also during the President’s visit that the development of Sabang port is believed to be high on the list of priorities. The revitalization of maritime structures is consistent with India’s blue-water diplomacy, demographically navigating the Indian Ocean to a focal geographical theater, theoretically enunciating a free, open, and rules-based order of the Indo-Pacific.

Shared Vision for a Free and Inclusive Indo-Pacific

India and Indonesia have been strategic partners that embrace a vision for the free, open and rule–based Indo-Pacific region. Both countries are deeply committed to ASEAN centrality and aspire to ensure stability and cooperation in the region amid emerging new forces.

While India can manage its dual partnership with the United States and China, Indonesia is suffering from growing Chinese aggression in its EEZ. These issues make their affiliation even more pertinent in the modern post industrial bipolar world.

Exploring New Vistas of Cooperation

Thus, the growth of Indo-Indonesian cooperation is not only in the framework of bilateral but also multilateral cooperation. Indonesia has recently joined BRICS with the support of India which promises a new dynamic discourse on issues BRICS countries can work together on such as, climate change, sustainable development and reasonable economic growth. The two countries’ thứs of non alignment to global power blocks therefore remain relevant when dealing with multiple tensions hence the focus on the Indo-Pacific tensions.