Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to be chief guest at 76th Republic Day celebrations

“At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President of the Republic of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto will pay a State Visit to India during 25-26 January 2025. President Prabowo will also be the Chief Guest for India’s 76th Republic Day celebrations,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in an official statement.

The MEA said that “India and Indonesia share warm and friendly ties spanning over millennia. As a Comprehensive Strategic Partner, Indonesia is an important pillar in India’s Act East Policy and our vision of the Indo-Pacific.”

“The forthcoming State Visit of President Prabowo will provide an opportunity for the leaders to undertake a comprehensive review of bilateral ties as well as to discuss regional and global issues of mutual interest,” the MEA added.

India and Indonesia: Close bilateral ties

India and Indonesia have shared close cultural and commercial contacts for over two millennia. Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam travelled to Indonesia from the shores of India. Stories from Indian epics Ramayana and Mahabharata form a source of Indonesian folk art and dramas and the shared culture, colonial history and post-independence goals of political sovereignty, economic self-sufficiency and independent foreign policy are unifying factors of India and Indonesia’s bilateral relationship.

India and Indonesia became chief votaries of the independence of Asian and African countries, the spirit of which led to the historic Bandung Conference of 1955 and the formation of the Non-Aligned Movement in 1961.

Since the adoption of India’s ‘Look East Policy’ in 1991, and its upgradation to ‘Act East’ in 2014, there has been a rapid development of bilateral relations in political, security, defence, commercial and cultural fields.

Indonesia chaired the G20 Presidency in 2022, followed by India in 2023.

Indonesia has emerged as India’s largest trade partner in the ASEAN region. The total bilateral trade as per the Department of Commerce during the fiscal year 2022-23 was USD 38.85 billion (growth of 48 per cent from the last financial year) with USD 10.02 billion (18 per cent growth) worth exports and USD 28.82 billion (62 per cent growth) worth imports.