India, Indonesia boost relations
India, Indonesia boost relations
India and Indonesia, the two largest countries in South and
Southeast Asia, have had close ties dating back to the fourth
century AD. For centuries, there has been contact between the
people of the two countries. Our two countries are deeply
intertwined with exchanges in religion, culture, languages,
literature, etc. In modern times, relations between the two
countries were given an impetus by the leaders of each country
not only in their fight against foreign colonial rule, but also
in charting a course of action in the post-independence period.
The first Prime Minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had
said about Indonesia's struggle against colonial rule that
"nothing aroused the emotions of people in India so much as the
struggle for independence of Indonesia. The people of India will
stand by the Indonesian demand for independence." Indonesia
reciprocated by offering both material and moral support.
Indonesia celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 1995, and India
has just concluded its 50th Anniversary celebrations. In the last
50 years, India and Indonesia -- starting with the Asian
Relations Conference in March 1947 in New Delhi, the Conference
on Indonesia in 1949 held in New Delhi, the historic Asia-Africa
Conference in 1955 in Bandung and as members of the NAM -- have
drawn from each other's experiences and strengths, and in a
spirit of cooperation and mutual benefit, worked together in
several areas. The two countries have had similarity of views on
several issues. In international fora such as the NAM, the G-15,
Indian Ocean Rim, the Group of 77, the Human Rights Commission,
the WTO, etc., Indonesia and India have worked closely.
Given the fact that the number of areas in which the two
countries can cooperate has been steadily increasing, there has
been an attempt to establish more institutional linkages. A Joint
Consultative Forum, at the level of Foreign Ministers or their
representatives, was established in December 1997. Similarly, a
Cultural Exchange Program (CEP), signed in December 1996, has
enabled both the countries to establish valuable linkages through
the medium of cultural exchanges. Cooperation in the field of
space science and technology is taking place in the form of
setting up of a TTC ground station at Biak. Despite the present
economic crunch in Indonesia, there are opportunities and
complementarities in our two economies and avenues for
cooperation. Concerted efforts are being made to enhance our
bilateral trade, which touched US$1.5 billion in 1997.
Technical cooperation between India and Indonesia,
particularly in the field of technical education, has been going
on for the past few decades. Under the Indian Technical and
Economic Cooperation (ITEC) program and the Colombo Plan, about
650 Indonesian officials and experts have been trained at various
Indian technical and management institutes.
Apart from official interaction between the two countries,
there are organizations in this country which have played a role
in promoting bilateral relations. The Economic Association of
India and Indonesia (ECAII) and the Indonesia-India Friendship
Association (IIFA) have been acting as vehicles for promoting
better understanding and awareness between the two countries.
ECAII, comprising a number of Indonesian as well as Indian
companies, has been playing a significant role in furthering
trade contacts between the two countries. IIFA, established in
1989, has been attempting to promote people-to-people contact and
enhance cultural interaction.
Indonesia is, today, going through a crucial phase of
transition on both political and economic fronts. With its vast
natural resources and well-developed infrastructure, the
fundamentals of the country are sound. India is confident that
the present economic difficulties are a passing phase and that
the people and the Government of Indonesia will overcome this
crisis and come out on top in the not so distant future.