Several MoUs to be inked during Indonesian Prez Subianto's visit to India

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's two-day visit to India beginning Saturday is expected to inject a new momentum in bilateral ties with both sides set to firm up several pacts to expand cooperation in a number of areas.

Subianto is visiting the national capital primarily to grace the 76th Republic Day celebrations as the Chief Guest.

Indonesia is keen to procure BrahMos BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles from India and there could be an announcement to this effect during Subianto's visit.

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

The entire gamut of bilateral cooperation including in 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 on Wednesday.

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

It will be 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 at the upcoming Republic Day parade at the 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 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.

Modi met Subianto on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro on November 19.

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, bankers, and other professions, according to official data.