India-Indonesia Relations

India and Indonesia are separated by only about 150 kilometres of sea, between the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Aceh. The two countries formally established diplomatic relations in 1949 and elevated ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2018. In July 2026, Prime Minister Modi’s State Visit to Indonesia pushed that partnership to a new level, with 14 agreements signed and a new five-pillar vision for the relationship.

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International Relations · IntlRel0048

Nearly 77 years of ties, deepened by a landmark 2026 State Visit

16 Apr 1949

India and Indonesia formally establish diplomatic relations.

2018

Ties are elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

26 Jan 2025

President Prabowo is Chief Guest at India’s 76th Republic Day.

6-8 Jul 2026

PM Modi’s State Visit; the “Ganga-Mahakam Vision” is unveiled.

“Mitra Selamanya” — Partners Forever

From a 1949 treaty to a 2026 vision spanning defence, space, and trade — few Indian bilateral ties trace such a direct line from freedom-struggle solidarity to strategic partnership.

📑 Contents

1Must Know
2Good to Know
3Test Yourself
4Great to Know
5Current Affairs

Must Know

India and Indonesia formally established diplomatic relations on 16 April 1949. This came three years after India recognised Indonesia’s independence, on 2 September 1946.
The two countries signed a Treaty of Friendship on 3 March 1951. It pledged “perpetual peace and unalterable friendship” between them.
India and Indonesia won independence within two years of each other: Indonesia in 1945, and India in 1947.
Ties were elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2018. The two countries also adopted a “Shared Vision of India-Indonesia Maritime Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific” that year.
President Prabowo Subianto was the Chief Guest at India’s 76th Republic Day, on 26 January 2025.
Prime Minister Modi undertook a State Visit to Indonesia from 6 to 8 July 2026, at President Prabowo’s invitation.
During the visit, President Prabowo conferred the Bintang Adipurna, Indonesia’s highest civilian honour, on PM Modi.
PM Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to address the Parliament of Indonesia. He did so in Jakarta on 7 July 2026.

Good to Know

The two leaders witnessed the signing of 14 MoUs and agreements during the visit. These spanned defence, space, steel, critical minerals, elections, telecommunications, health, and agriculture.
Defence cooperation now includes the BrahMos Missile System and a new Air-to-Air Missile Cooperation Agreement.
Steel Authority of India (SAIL) and PT Krakatau Steel agreed a strategic joint venture. It will explore a stainless-steel slab manufacturing facility in Indonesia.
India’s Non-Ferrous Materials Technology Development Centre (NFTDC) signed an MoU with Indonesia’s state minerals firm, PERMINAS. It covers joint development of rare earth magnets.
IIM Bangalore announced its first-ever international campus. It will be set up at the Singhasari Special Economic Zone in Malang, Indonesia.
This follows similar overseas campuses already opened by IIM Ahmedabad in Dubai, IIT Delhi in Abu Dhabi, and IIT Madras in Zanzibar.
Indonesia launched the Indonesia Open Network (ION). It is built on the architecture of India’s own Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).
The Reserve Bank of India and Bank Indonesia are also progressing a Cross-Border QR Payment Linkage between the two countries.
India is supporting restoration of the UNESCO World Heritage Prambanan Temple Complex in Yogyakarta. The work is being led by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
The two countries will jointly mark 2026-27 as the “Tagore-Dewantara Year of Cultural and Educational Diplomacy.” This honours Rabindranath Tagore’s 1927 visit to Indonesia, and educationist Ki Hajar Dewantara.
Indonesia reaffirmed full support for India’s 2026 BRICS chairship. India, in turn, backed Indonesia’s own role as a BRICS member.

Test Yourself

Great to Know

PM Modi presented the “Ganga-Mahakam Vision” to Indonesia’s Parliament. It rests on five pillars: civilisational connect, shared development, security and strategic trust, maritime prosperity, and the voice of the Global South.
India also underlined its MAHASAGAR vision during the talks. It stands for “Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions” — India’s own framework for the wider Indo-Pacific.
India’s Great Nicobar Island lies only about 150 kilometres from Aceh, Indonesia. That is closer than many Indian states are to each other.
During Indonesia’s own freedom struggle, Odisha‘s Biju Patnaik flew Prime Minister Sutan Sjahrir and Vice President Mohammad Hatta to India. This act, years before formal diplomatic ties began, remains a founding memory of the relationship.
Indonesia is home to around 150,000 Persons of Indian Origin and 15,000 Non-Resident Indians, per PIB figures from July 2026. Bilateral trade stood at nearly USD 25 billion in the year before the visit.

Current Affairs

India and Indonesia adopted a full Joint Statement covering 58 paragraphs of cooperation, from defence to disaster management. (Source: PIB, India-Indonesia Joint Statement, 7 Jul 2026)
PM Modi’s Parliament address unveiled the five-pillar “Ganga-Mahakam Vision” for the relationship’s next phase. (Source: PIB, PM’s Address to the Parliament of Indonesia, 7 Jul 2026)
President Prabowo conferred the Bintang Adipurna, Indonesia’s highest civilian honour, on PM Modi. (Source: PIB, 7 Jul 2026)
The 14 MoUs signed included cooperation on the BrahMos Missile System and an Air-to-Air Missile Cooperation Agreement. (Source: PIB, List of Outcomes: PM’s Visit to Indonesia, 7 Jul 2026)
IIM Bangalore announced its first international campus, to be set up at the Singhasari SEZ in Malang, Indonesia. (Source: PIB, Ministry of Education, 7 Jul 2026)
The two countries agreed to jointly observe 2026-27 as the “Tagore-Dewantara Year of Cultural and Educational Diplomacy.” (Source: PIB, 7 Jul 2026)
PM Modi and President Prabowo inaugurated restoration work at the UNESCO World Heritage Prambanan Temple Complex, Yogyakarta. (Source: PIB, India-Indonesia Joint Statement, 7 Jul 2026)