Team Blitz India
MINISTER of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita on October 20 attended the inauguration ceremony of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Vice- President Gibran Rakabuming Raka at the Parliament complex in Jakarta.
Margherita conveyed warm greetings to President Prabowo on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a press release.
“President Prabowo conveyed his gratitude to Prime Minister Modi for his wishes,” it said.
Prabowo who served as the defence minister in former President Joko Widodo’s government, won the presidential elections with a margin of 59 per cent votes in the polls held on February 14 earlier this year.
In a post on X, Margherita, underscored the significance of this year which marks a milestone in the positive bilateral ties between India and Indonesia as the two nations commemorate 75 years of establishment of diplomatic relations.
Earlier, the Minister of State also paid tributes at the National Monument of Indonesia, which was created under the directions of Indonesia’s first President Sukrano.
During his visit, Margherita also interacted with business leaders representing prominent Indian companies present in Indonesia. He held deliberations upon the ongoing investment projects in Indonesia.
“Indonesia has emerged as India’s second largest trade partner in ASEAN!” he said in post on X. India and Indonesia share two millennia-old close cultural and commercial contacts. The two countries have supported each other from the days of the Non-Aligned Movement in the 1960s to India’s present day Act East policy.
In the context of India’s ‘Act East Policy’, it is the largest and most influential member of ASEAN. Indonesia has also emerged as India’s largest trade partner in the ASEAN region, with whom India has recorded trade of over $35 billion USD.
The participation of Margherita in the ceremony reaffirms India’s commitment to further strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and Indonesia.