Indonesian Prez Prabowo Subianto, India's Republic Day chief guest, arrives in Delhi

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto arrived here on Thursday night on his first visit to India as the head of state.

Subianto is in Delhi primarily to grace the 76th Republic Day celebrations as the chief guest.

The Indonesian president was welcomed at the airport by Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita.

“A warm welcome to President Prabowo Subianto @prabowo of Indonesia as he arrives in New Delhi on his first State Visit to India,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on ‘X’.

“This visit will further strengthen India-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” he said.

Both sides are expected to firm up several pacts to expand cooperation in a number of areas during Subianto’s visit.

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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 the Kartavya Path here. 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 India-Indonesia ties in the last few years.

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

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

On November 19 last year, Prime Minister Modi met President Prabowo Subianto on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

India and Indonesia are close maritime neighbours with cultural and trade ties 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 India-Indonesia trade in 2023 was recorded at USD 29.40 billion.

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

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

Indonesia is also home to approximately 150,000 persons of Indian-origin whose ancestors had migrated to that country in the 19th and 20th centuries.

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