Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands at a meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia on May 30. (Photo: AFP/VNA)Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesia and India have agreed to lift their ties to aComprehensive Strategic Partnership.
The agreement was reached during the talks in Jakarta on May30 between Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Indian Prime Minister NarendraModi, who is on an official visit to Indonesia.
According to a joint statement issued after the talks, bothsides reached a consensus on organising a bilateral summit annually, andcontinuing regular bilateral consultations through the robust architecture ofdialogue in place.
They appreciated the adoption of a shared vision formaritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region which highlights mutualconcerns about a prosperous Indo-Pacific region.
They expressed their satisfaction with the current strategicpartnership with intensified cooperation in politics, defence, security andeconomy.
Both leaders reaffirmed that their countries, as strategicpartners and maritime neighbours, must work to further strengthen and broadenthe already robust defence cooperation.
They reaffirmed their commitment in the field of defence,with the signing of the Defence Cooperation Agreement between the twocountries, and agreed to further enhance mutual trust through regular meetingsand talks between land, naval and air forces of the two countries.
The two sides agreed to work intensively for the earlyconclusion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) andreiterated that it needs to be comprehensive, fair and balanced with benefit toall member states.
President Widodo stated he welcomes the increase in Indianinvestments in Indonesia and appreciated their contribution to the Indonesianeconomy, while Prime Minister Modi also welcomed Indonesian companies’participation in the Make in India initiative and invited Indonesian businessesto avail of the opportunities presented.-VNA
VNA
