- PM Narendra Modi addressed the Indonesian parliament, highlighting unity in diversity in both nations
- He recalled India's support for Indonesia's independence at the United Nations
- PM Modi cited historic ties including the Bandung Conference and shared independence timelines
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address to the Indonesian parliament on Tuesday, highlighted how India and Indonesia have made diversity the very foundation of unity in their own countries.
PM Modi, who became the first Indian prime minister to address the Indonesian parliament, recalled how New Delhi became a strong voice for Jakarta's independence movement at the United Nations.
"Both our countries have made diversity the very foundation of our unity within our democracies. When India celebrated its first Republic Day in 1950, the chief guest at that historic ceremony was none other than President Sukarno, as the Honourable Speaker has just mentioned," PM Modi said.
"During that era, at the Bandung Conference, President Sukarno and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru sent a clear message to the world that independent nations have the sovereign right to make their own decisions," he said.
The historic Bandung Conference was held in 1955 with 29 newly independent Asian and African countries as participants. The summit promoted cooperation, opposed colonialism and laid the groundwork for the Non-Aligned Movement.
"There is so much that our ancestors experienced together. Both our nations endured long periods of foreign rule. We gained our independence at almost the same time, Indonesia in 1945 and India in 1947," the prime minister said in the Indonesian parliament.
He also recalled how Biju Patnaik, a great pilot, and his co-pilot wife, Gyanwati Patnaik, flew a Dakota aircraft to Indonesia and safely extracted prime minister Sutan Sjahrir and vice president Mohammad Hatta just as Indonesia declared independence from Dutch rule on August 17, 1945. The flight landed in Delhi (via Singapore) despite Dutch threats to shoot down the aircraft.
During PM Modi's visit to Indonesia and the bilateral with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, the two nations discussed cooperation on the BrahMos missile system as part of efforts to elevate bilateral defence ties, while also reviewing progress on integrating India's UPI with Indonesia's QRIS payment system and expanding collaboration in the mining and critical minerals sector.
A major economic outcome was the agreement on cooperation in minerals and steel supply chains, aimed at strengthening resilience in critical sectors. Complementing the government-level pact, Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) entered into a strategic joint venture with Indonesia's PT Krakatau Steel to set up a stainless steel slab manufacturing facility in Indonesia.
"Over the past two decades, Indonesia's economy has grown rapidly, lifting millions of people out of poverty. India's democratic experience tells the same story. Today, India is the world's fastest-growing major economy. Over the past decade, more than 25 crore Indians have risen out of poverty," PM Modi said in the Indonesian parliament.
