India-Indonesia Relations

India and Indonesia are sea neighbours. Only about 150 km of water separates the Nicobar Islands from Sumatra. Their story is one of old friendship, a bad patch in the 1960s, and a fresh start in July 2026.

Think of three questions as you read. Why did the two nations start as friends? Why did ties dip? And what is new in 2026?

1How did two freedom struggles become friends?

Indonesia declared independence on 17 August 1945. It then fought the Dutch, who wanted their colony back. India backed Indonesia even before its own freedom, and Nehru raised its case before the world. (Source: ThePrint)

In 1947, Odisha’s Biju Patnaik flew Indonesian leaders Sutan Sjahrir and Mohammad Hatta out of danger. This is still the founding memory of the tie.

Both nations had fought colonial rule. So they saw each other as partners, not rivals.

• India backed Indonesia against the Dutch.
• Biju Patnaik flew Sjahrir and Hatta to safety, 1947.
• Shared anti-colonial bond.

2What did they sign in the early years?

India and Indonesia set up diplomatic relations on 16 April 1949. They signed a Treaty of Friendship on 3 March 1951. It promised “perpetual peace and unalterable friendship.”

Sukarno, Indonesia’s first President, was the Chief Guest at India’s first Republic Day, on 26 January 1950. (Source: The Better India)

• Relations: 16 April 1949.
• Treaty of Friendship: 3 March 1951.
• First R-Day guest: Sukarno, 1950.

3What was Bandung, and why did ties cool?

Indonesia hosted the Asian-African Conference at Bandung in 1955. Twenty-nine nations took part. India was a sponsor, and Nehru was a central figure. (Source: ThePrint)

Bandung gave new nations a voice outside the two Cold War camps. It laid the ground for the Non-Aligned Movement, launched in 1961.

Then ties cooled. In September 1965 Sukarno’s government backed Pakistan in its war with India. Mobs in Jakarta damaged the Indian embassy. India also feared Indonesian submarines near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Suharto replaced Sukarno in 1967, and ties slowly recovered. Continental-shelf agreements followed in 1974 and 1977.

• Bandung: 1955, 29 nations, Nehru a key figure.
• Roots of the Non-Aligned Movement.
• 1965: Sukarno backs Pakistan.
• 1967: Suharto restores ties.

4How did the modern partnership grow?

In 2005 the two set up a strategic partnership. In 2011 President Yudhoyono was India’s Republic Day Chief Guest. In 2018 ties rose to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, along with a shared vision on Indo-Pacific maritime cooperation. (Source: ThePrint)

The two navies have run CORPAT, a joint patrol, twice a year since 2002. It covers the sea border near the Andaman Sea and the Strait of Malacca. It targets piracy, drug trafficking and illegal fishing. (Source: PIB)

The armies hold Exercise Garuda Shakti every year, a special-forces drill since 2012.

• 2005 strategic partnership. 2018 Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
• CORPAT: joint naval patrol, since 2002.
• Garuda Shakti: army drill, since 2012.

5What did Prabowo, BRICS and BrahMos add?

President Prabowo Subianto was Chief Guest at India’s 76th Republic Day, on 26 January 2025. It was his first State Visit to India, and it marked 75 years of ties. (Source: DD News)

Indonesia joined BRICS in January 2025 as its 10th member. India backed the entry, and India chairs BRICS in 2026. (Source: Al Jazeera)

In March 2026 Indonesia said it had finalised a BrahMos missile purchase. It is the second Southeast Asian buyer after the Philippines. In July 2026 more deals followed, including a pact on air-to-air missiles. (Source: The Diplomat) (Source: Aviation Week)

• Prabowo: R-Day Chief Guest, January 2025.
• Indonesia joined BRICS, January 2025.
• BrahMos deal finalised, March 2026.

6What happened in Modi’s July 2026 State Visit?

Modi visited Indonesia from 6 to 8 July 2026, at Prabowo’s invitation. He was the first Indian Prime Minister to address Indonesia’s Parliament, on 7 July. He received the Bintang Adipurna, Indonesia’s highest civilian honour. The leaders witnessed 14 MoUs and agreements.

Modi named a “Ganga-Mahakam Vision”, after the two great rivers. Its five pillars are shared heritage, shared development, security and strategic trust, maritime prosperity, and the voice of the Global South. (Source: The Statesman)

Other results: SAIL and PT Krakatau Steel agreed a steel joint venture. IIM Bangalore announced its first campus abroad, in Malang. India will help restore the Prambanan Temple Complex. And 2026-27 will be the “Tagore-Dewantara Year”.

• 6–8 July 2026: State Visit; first Indian PM in Indonesia’s Parliament.
• Ganga-Mahakam Vision: five pillars.
• 14 agreements; IIM Bangalore campus in Malang.

7What are the exam traps?

• Relations began 16 April 1949. The Treaty of Friendship came in 1951.
• The 1955 Bandung conference was hosted by Indonesia, not India.
• CSP year is 2018. Strategic partnership was 2005.
• CORPAT is a naval patrol. Garuda Shakti is an army exercise.
• Great Nicobar lies only about 150 km from Sumatra.