India-Indonesia relations get new momentum, Foreign Minister Jaishankar told the complete blueprint from defense to trade…

Giving a new direction to the historical and strategic ties between India and Indonesia, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday shared a major blueprint to strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries. Welcoming the Indonesian delegation to the ‘8th India-Indonesia Joint Commission Meeting’ being held in New Delhi after a gap of four years, Jaishankar highlighted the immense potential of multi-sectoral cooperation.

Republic Day Yatra gave new impetus to relations

Foreign Minister Jaishankar recalled during the meeting that Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto had come to India as the chief guest on the occasion of India’s 76th Republic Day in the year 2025. He said, “Last year, the state visit of President Prabowo Subianto led to very fruitful talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and him. That historic visit has given an unprecedented impetus to our strategic partnership.” He further said that both the countries have also celebrated the 75th anniversary of the beginning of their diplomatic relations with great pomp in the year 2025.

Special focus on defence, security and trade

During this JCM discussion with Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono, Jaishankar made it clear that this high-level dialogue will cover the entire spectrum of bilateral cooperation. “Today’s talks will review and expand cooperation in strategic areas ranging from political relations to defence, security, maritime trade, investment, health, pharmaceuticals, food security as well as tourism, education and cultural cooperation,” he said.

Common war against terrorism and regional geopolitics

As the two largest democracies in South and South-East Asia, India and Indonesia’s relations have steadily strengthened since they were granted the status of ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’ in 2018. Both the countries are also standing firmly against terrorism, the example of which was seen in the sixth meeting of the Joint Working Group held in Jakarta in August 2024. This bilateral meeting is taking place at a time when both the countries are playing an active role in important initiatives like ‘ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2026-2030)’, which is very important in the context of the changing regional geopolitical environment.