New Delhi: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is likely to be the chief guest for the 2025 Republic Day parade, it is learnt.
Sources in the defence and security establishment told ThePrint that India has already extended an official invite, and confirmation is awaited.
Meanwhile, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi is set to travel to the Southeast Asian country Sunday on a four-day official visit.
While in Indonesia, Admiral Tripathi is expected to meet senior Indonesian government officials, the commander of the Indonesian Joint Forces, and the chief of the Indonesian Navy.
The defence industry collaboration includes shared focus on indigenous defence manufacturing as part of India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, potential for joint development of military equipment, including Jakarta’s interest in BrahMos and other naval systems, and growing interaction between Indian private defence manufacturers and Indonesia’s Ministry of Defence.
In February this year, the submarine INS Sindhukesari docked in the Indonesian capital Jakarta for the first time–from 22 to 24 February. On 10 December, two Indian naval warships, INS Kesari and INS LCU L57, docked at Sabang Port in Aceh, Indonesia, on another two-day visit.
India and Indonesia have been in talks to develop the strategically important Sabang Port which would benefit the Indian Navy, given that it is roughly 700 km from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Indira Point, the southernmost point of India’s territory, is approximately 100 nautical miles from this port.
Niranjan Oak, a research analyst at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), New Delhi, told ThePrint that the Sabang Port was important to India, given its proximity to the Malacca Strait which is a major choke point in the Indo-Pacific. “Additionally, China’s presence in Cambodia’s Ream naval base makes Sabang even more essential for India,” he said.
The Strait of Malacca is a vital part of the Indo-Pacific and is one of the key sea lanes linking the Indian and the Pacific oceans.
Good ties with China, also eyes BrahMos
In November 2024, President Prabowo met Xi Jinping in Beijing during a state visit. This was Prabowo’s first foreign trip after assuming office the previous month. Chinese and Indonesian firms signed business agreements totalling more than $10 billion.
According to a Bloomberg report, Xi and Prabowo presided over the signing of pacts to jointly develop fisheries and oil and gas sectors in areas where both countries have laid claim. The two countries also decided to strengthen maritime safety and deepen cooperation on the blue economy, water and mineral resources and green minerals.
Bloomberg reported: “Xi said Prabowo’s decision to visit China first is a reflection of the Indonesian leader’s emphasis on developing ties between the two sides.”
Indonesia is also one of India’s potential customers for the BrahMos missiles. In April this year, India completed a delivery to the Philippines.
In September, a high-level delegation headed by Major General Yunianto from the National Resilience Institute of Indonesia visited BrahMos Aerospace in New Delhi. BrahMos Aerospace CEO and MD Atul Dinkar Rane met the delegation and spoke about the supersonic BrahMos weapon system and its capabilities.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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