Relations between RI and India strengthen in 2005

Relations between RI and India strengthen in 2005

Veeramalla Anjaiah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous state, and India
-- the world's second most populous nation -- have maintained
close relations since they threw off the yoke of colonialism in
the mid-1940s.

All these years, the relations between two Asian giants have
been underpinned by shared socio-cultural, political and
historical ties, civilizational interaction for more than two
millennia, uniquely-shared characteristics and other
commonalities.

Resource-rich Indonesia is the home to world's largest Muslim
population while secular India is the world's biggest Hindu-
majority nation.

For several decades, both countries' relations remained strong
politically but weak economically.

Indian prime ministers didn't bother to visit Indonesia -- the
second largest country in East Asia and a strategically important
maritime neighbor -- for 14 years during the past two decades.

However, thanks to India's 1991 "Look East" policy, all this
has changed. Meanwhile, Indonesia's perception of its giant
nuclear neighbor has also changed dramatically.

Starting with former president Abdurrahman Wahid in 2000 and
accelerating under the Megawati Soekarnoputri and President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono administrations, Jakarta moved closer to
New Delhi, propelled by shared values, commitments to democracy
and multilateralism, a desire for expanded trade and common
strategic perceptions.

During the past five years, every Indonesian president has
visited India and two successive Indian prime ministers -- Atal
Behari Vajpayee and Man Mohan Singh -- came to Jakarta.

Indonesia's bilateral relations with India -- a superpower in
information technology and world's fourth-largest modern economy
-- reached their zenith in November 2005 when Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono visited Bangalore, Agra and New Delhi. Prime Minister
Singh also led a high-level delegation to the Asian-African
Summit (AAS) in Jakarta in April 2005.

Indonesia and India -- Asia's two biggest democracies --
agreed during Susilo's visit to establish a "strategic
partnership", to open a new chapter in bilateral relations.

The New Strategic Partnership (NSP) is designed to address the
long-term interests of both countries through closer diplomatic
coordination, stronger defense relations, enhanced economic
relations especially in trade and investment, greater
technological cooperation, intensified cultural ties, educational
linkages and people-to-people contacts.

By working together and drawing upon each other's strengths,
experts hope the NSP will enable Indonesia and India to
contribute to regional and global peace, prosperity and
stability.

"The three nodes of relevance in Asia are India, China and
Japan. Indonesia is trying to have more balance by dealing with
all three nodes," Uday Bhaskar, an Indian defense analyst and the
deputy director of Delhi-based Institute of Defense Studies and
Analyses (IDSA), told the Australia's ABC Online recently.

For India, according to Bhaskar, it makes a lot of sense to
have strong ties with Indonesia, which has the biggest economy in
Southeast Asia.

At a banquet hosted in his honor by his Indian counterpart,
APJ Abdul Kalam, in New Delhi, Susilo declared that "the real
glory of our friendship lies in the future" -- a future he said
that was tied together.

Both countries have set an ambitious target of tripling of
bilateral trade to US$10 billion by 2010 and Indonesia's Minister
of Trade Mari Pangestu visited India twice in August and November
2005. The balance is expected to surpass the $4 billion-mark in
2005.

The major items Indonesia exports to India are crude palm oil,
animal and vegetable oil, fat, fruits, nuts, petroleum products,
fertilizers, chemicals, yarn and pulp, while Indonesia's major
imports from India are animal feed, cotton, wheat, iron and
steel, machinery, dyes and tanning extracts, auto parts, computer
software and oil palm seeds.

Indonesia also strongly supported India's participation in the
first East Asian Summit (EAS), which was held in Kuala Lumpur
recently.

With the two countries' shared maritime boundaries and common
security interests, officials have agreed to an annual Indonesia-
India Strategic Dialog and intensify the cooperation to curb
terrorism.

Susilo welcomed India's offer of cooperation in procurement of
defense supplies, technologies and production and the two
countries agreed to establish a joint working group to draft a
comprehensive economic cooperation agreement.

Besides Susilo's visit, there were several events in 2005 that
strengthened bilateral relations.

In its response to the tsunami disaster in Aceh, India --
which was also affected by the waves -- deployed two naval ships
carrying medical teams and $1 million in relief materials.
India's then foreign minister Natwar Singh attended the Tsunami
Summit in January 2005 and the country announced another $2
million aid for Nias, which was shattered by a deadly earthquake
in March 2005.

India hosted the second Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) in
March 2005 in New Delhi. In this meeting, chaired by Indonesian
Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda, and his Indian
counterpart Natwar Singh, a wide range of areas were identified
for closer cooperation. In September, the Joint Consultative
Forum was held in Yogyakarta.

After a gap of 25 years, India organized "Indiatech 2005" in
March 2005 in Jakarta to promote its engineering products in
Indonesia. Two Indian companies TVS Motors and Bajaj Auto also
have announced that they would invest in Indonesia's automotive
sector.

In July, Indian Chief of Naval Staff Ad. Arun Prakash visited
Indonesia to strengthen defense cooperation between the two
countries. His visit coincided with the arrival of Indian
aircraft career INS Viraat and four other ships in Jakarta.

India also expressed its interest in helping Indonesia
safeguard the Strait of Malacca from piracy.

Indonesia and India both operate a space telemetry, tracking
and command ground station for satellites and geostationary
launch vehicles in Biak, Papua province. India is building a
$900,000 second ground station, an expansion from the previous
one, in Biak.

India offered more than 100 scholarships to Indonesian
students to study at Indian universities. Around 1,000 Indonesian
experts as well as officials received training in India during
the last 15 years. In May this year, India opened a $750,000
Vocational Training Center and it will set up another in Aceh
soon.