Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto Begins Four-Day Visit to India for Republic Day Festivities

New Delhi, Jan 24 (NationPress) Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto arrived in New Delhi on Thursday night for a four-day visit, during which he is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attend the 76th Republic Day Parade in India.

This marks President Prabowo's inaugural state visit to India. Upon his arrival, he was greeted by Minister of State for External Affairs, Pabitra Margherita.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) indicated that this visit aims to enhance the India-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

"A warm welcome to President Prabowo Subianto @prabowo of Indonesia as he arrives in New Delhi on his first State Visit to India. Received by MoS @PmargheritaBJP at the airport. President @prabowo will be the Chief Guest for India's 76th Republic Day celebrations. This visit will further strengthen the India-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership," said MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on the social media platform X.

President Prabowo will be in India from January 23-26 and will serve as the Chief Guest for the Republic Day celebrations.

In addition to comprehensively reviewing bilateral relations, discussions are expected to touch on regional and global matters of shared concern.

Before his journey, President Prabowo outlined his visit on X, expressing that the purpose is to bolster strategic collaboration in security, maritime, and digital technology advancement.

He also mentioned his next stop will be Malaysia following his time in India.

"Today, I depart for New Delhi, India, to attend the 76th Republic Day celebrations. During my visit, I will meet with the President and Prime Minister of India to strengthen strategic cooperation in areas such as security, maritime, and digital technology development," stated the Indonesian President.

"After completing my agenda in India, I will continue my trip to Malaysia at the invitation of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Close cooperation with friendly countries has always been our priority to build a stronger and more prosperous region together," he added.

During his stay, President Prabowo is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, President Droupadi Murmu, and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, as confirmed by the MEA.

On Friday, he will have a meeting with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar at the Taj Mahal Hotel at 4 p.m.

On January 25, President Prabowo will take part in a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan at 10 a.m., followed by a wreath-laying ceremony at Rajghat.

He will subsequently hold discussions with Prime Minister Modi at Hyderabad House at 12 p.m., which will involve the exchange of Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) and press statements.

Later in the evening, he will meet with India's Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar at Taj Mahal Hotel at 4 p.m., followed by a meeting with President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan at 7 p.m.

On January 26, President Prabowo will witness the Republic Day Parade as the Chief Guest. Later that afternoon, he will participate in the "At Home" Reception hosted by President Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan. He is scheduled to depart for Indonesia at 5:30 p.m.

Notably, with President Prabowo as Chief Guest at this year’s Republic Day, a 352-member marching and band contingent from Indonesia will take part in the Parade on Kartvya Path in the national capital.

This marks the first instance of an Indonesian marching and band contingent participating in a national day parade overseas.

Several MOUs and announcements are anticipated to be finalized, with the third CEO Forum occurring on the sidelines.

President Prabowo will be the fourth Indonesian President to grace India's Republic Day celebrations.

PM Modi previously visited Indonesia in 2018, during which the India-Indonesia bilateral relationship was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, alongside the establishment of a shared vision for India-Indonesia Maritime Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.

PM Modi also met President Prabowo during the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in November last year, marking the first interaction between the two leaders.

As a member of the BRICS group, Indonesia has expressed gratitude for India's backing of its membership in this emerging economies forum.

Sources indicate that Indonesia is keen on learning from India and other nations to enhance its defense system, with a focus on technology transfer. However, a definitive defense deal is not expected to be finalized during this visit, despite robust defense cooperation under the Defence Cooperation Agreement signed in 2018.

India and Indonesia are close maritime neighbors, with cultural and trade links dating back over a millennium. The annual Bali Yatra festival, which commemorates the historic voyages of Indian sailors to Bali, exemplifies these cultural ties.

Indonesia is among India's largest trading partners within the ASEAN region. The bilateral trade volume in 2023-24 reached $29.40 billion, while Indian investments in Indonesia total approximately $1.56 billion across various sectors including infrastructure, power, textiles, steel, automotive, mining, banking, and consumer goods.