Indonesia, India share special historical ties: DPR speaker

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) Puan Maharani highlighted the longstanding historical relationship between Indonesia and India while hosting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Parliament Complex.

"Indonesia and India share very long and special historical roots," she said in Jakarta on Tuesday as she opened her remarks before the Indian leader.

Puan said the bilateral relationship is closely linked to the participation of Soekarno, her grandfather and Indonesia's first president, as a guest of honor at India's first Republic Day celebration in 1950.

She noted that Indonesia and India later co-initiated the Asian-African Conference in Bandung, West Java, just a few years after Soekarno's landmark visit.

She added that the two countries worked together to promote the Bandung Declaration, a set of 10 fundamental principles of peaceful coexistence adopted during the conference, which later inspired the establishment of the Non-Aligned Movement.

According to Puan, the relationship between Indonesia and India has continued to grow stronger. She partly attributed the positive momentum to President Prabowo Subianto's visit to New Delhi last year, which marked the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

"We are two great democracies, two maritime powers in the Indian Ocean that uphold the principle of sovereignty amid increasingly complex global geopolitical dynamics," Puan said.

The DPR speaker also expressed support for efforts to further strengthen the Indonesia-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and implement the Shared Vision on Maritime Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, both agreed upon during Modi's visit to Indonesia in 2018.

She emphasized that the two diplomatic frameworks provide "a robust foundation for expanding cooperation across various fields."

Puan delivered her remarks in the presence of Modi, President Prabowo Subianto, Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Cabinet ministers, and lawmakers. Modi also addressed the gathering.

The Parliament Complex visit followed bilateral talks between Prabowo and Modi at the Merdeka Palace earlier in the day. The two leaders exchanged views on a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues and witnessed the signing of 16 cooperation documents.

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Translator: Fath Putra, Tegar Nurfitra

Editor: Primayanti

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