Indonesia is a key pillar of India's Act East Policy: MEA
New Delhi, June 7
Indonesia is a key pillar of India's Act East Policy, the Ministry of External Affairs said as the Southeast Asian nation's Foreign Minister Sugiono held talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
The two ministers also co-chaired the 8th India-Indonesia Joint Commission Meeting (JCM).
According to the MEA, "the two Ministers reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral relations under the India-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and discussed avenues for further strengthening cooperation in political, defence and security, maritime, trade and investment, pharma and healthcare, digital, energy, connectivity, space, education, consular and culture domains, and people-to-people exchanges".
Renewed impetus to the bilateral relationship was provided by the discussions between Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, including during the former's state visit to India in January 2025, it added.
The two sides exchanged views on regional and global developments of mutual interest and reaffirmed their commitment to closer cooperation and coordination in regional and multilateral fora.
They also welcomed the upward and growing trajectory of bilateral relations and agreed to convene the next Joint Commission Meeting at a mutually convenient date in the near future.
"Indonesia is a key pillar of India's Act East Policy. Rooted in deep civilisational linkages, the India-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership continues to grow from strength to strength across established and new areas of cooperation," the MEA stressed.
Earlier in the day, Sugiono stated that he looked forward to Prime Minister Modi's upcoming visit to Indonesia.
"Delighted to co-chair the 8th Indonesia-India Joint Commission Meeting with Dr S Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India in New Delhi. We discussed key priorities under the Indonesia-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, from trade and maritime security to digital connectivity, infrastructure, health and people-to-people ties,"he posted on X.
"Looking forward to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to Jakarta. The visit will be an important opportunity to further deepen our cooperation and deliver tangible benefits for our peoples," he added.
— IANS
Reader Comments
This is exactly the kind of multilateral engagement India needs to prioritize. Indonesia's strategic location in the Indo-Pacific is invaluable, and our shared democratic values make for a strong foundation. Hope the people-to-people exchanges mentioned lead to more cultural and educational programs—could be a game changer for young Indians 🇮🇳🤝🇮🇩
As someone who follows Southeast Asian geopolitics, this is promising. India's Act East Policy has often been criticized for lacking substance, but partnerships like this—especially in maritime security and digital connectivity—show real depth. The JCM framework seems to be working well. Kudos to both governments for keeping the momentum.
It's heartening to see our civilizational links with Indonesia being acknowledged. From the Ramayana to Bali's Hindu heritage, there's so much shared history. But let's be honest—bilateral trade still needs a major boost. We talk about billions but actual numbers are modest compared to China-Indonesia ties. Need to walk the talk on economic cooperation 💪
Respectful criticism: While the Act East Policy sounds great on paper, I worry about implementation bottlenecks. Indonesia is a vast archipelago with complex governance—do we have the diplomatic bandwidth and resources to truly deliver on all these domains? The devils in the details. Hope the upcoming JCMs focus on concrete benchmarks.
Indonesia is indeed a key pillar—especially in the context of countering China's influence in Southeast Asia. But let's not reduce this to just geopolitics. The pharma and digital cooperation mentioned could benefit millions of ordinary Indians and Indonesians. E-governance
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.