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PM Modi praises Indonesia’s Pancasila; India and Indonesia agree on shared Indo-Pacific vision

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indonesian President Joko Widodo hailed the strategic and cultural relationship between the two nations in a joint press statement issued on Wednesday in the Indonesia capital of Jakarta.

PM Modi praises Indonesia’s Pancasila; India and Indonesia agree on shared Indo-Pacific vision

(Photo: Twitter/@MEAIndia)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indonesian President Joko Widodo hailed the strategic and cultural relationship between the two nations in a joint press statement issued on Wednesday in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta.

PM Modi, who is in the Southeast Asian archipelago for a two-day visit, began by condemning the terrorist attacks in Surabaya which left 25 people dead, including the 13 suicide bombers, and injured at least 41 others.

“India strongly condemns the terror attacks. I express my grief at the killing of so many innocents,” the Indian PM said  at the press briefing, which was held after a kite-flying ceremony attended by the two leaders.

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While stating that India stands with Indonesia in the hour of crisis, the PM called for an urgent need to increase worldwide efforts to fight terrorism.

“I assure you that India stands strongly with Indonesia in this hour of crisis. Incidents such as these prove that there is an urgent need to speed up the joint efforts to tackle terrorism worldwide,” said the 67-year-old PM.

Stressing on the important role played by Indonesia and India in maritime security, the PM said New Delhi and Jakarta have agreed to upgrade the association between the two nations to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

“Being coastal neighbours and strategic partners, our concerns are the same. It is our duty to ensure the safety and security of the sea lanes,” said the PM, adding, “We have a special geo-strategic location in this changing Indo-Pacific region. We have therefore, agreed on common vision and principles for the region.”

India and Indonesia agreed on a Shared Vision of India-Indonesia Maritime Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. It is the first such agreement with any ASEAN country and outlines areas of maritime cooperation and envisages security architecture in Indo-Pacific.

The PM equated India’s Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR), a part of Act East Policy, to President Widodo’s Maritime Fulcrum Policy.

The PM also hailed Indonesia’s Pancasila (Panchsheel in Sanskrit) philosophy which he called “a living testimony of the Indonesian people’s prudence and foresightedness”.

Following meetings between the two leaders, India and Indonesia agreed to double their efforts to take bilateral trade to $50 billion by 2025. The two nations also agreed to increase ties in science-technology and education.

India’s Uttarakhand state was twinned with Indonesia’s Bali, a move that the PM said will “boost tourism between the two nations”.

The PM also thanked President Widodo for Indonesia’s strong support for development of India’s strategic partnership in ASEAN.

Read More: PM Modi lays wreath at Indonesian martyrs’ cemetery

He concluded by greeting the people of the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation by population on the holy month of Ramzan and the upcoming festival of Eid-ul-Fitr. Earlier today, the PM also visited the Istiqlal Mosque, the largest mosque in Southeast Asia and the third-largest Sunni mosque in terms of capacity, along with the Indonesian President.

The two leaders also oversaw the signing of nine government-to-government MoUs in Defence, Space, S-T, Railways, Pharma, Policy Planning and Research, and six government-to-business and business-to-business MoUs.

On Twitter, the PM described the meeting with Widodo as “productive”.

“Glad that ties between India and Indonesia are gaining strong momentum,” he wrote.

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