Modi meets Prabowo in Jakarta to expand defense, trade ties
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- Modi arrived in Jakarta on Monday for a three-day visit, his second to Indonesia as prime minister after 2018, and was greeted on the tarmac by Prabowo at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base with his plane escorted by three Indonesian fighter jets.
- Defense cooperation is the centerpiece: Indonesia has expressed interest in acquiring India's BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, with discussions at an "advanced stage," Indian Ambassador Sandeep Chakravorty told reporters.
- Eight agreements and several memorandums of understanding are expected across defense and security, trade and investment, food and energy security, critical minerals, health, and education, Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono said.
- Maritime security is also on the table, with Chakravorty noting shared strategic interests along shipping routes linking the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
- Indonesia Open Network, a digital commerce platform modeled on India's digital public infrastructure, is planned for launch during the visit.
- Modi travels to Yogyakarta on Wednesday, where an Indian-supported restoration project at the Hindu temple of Prambanan may be announced, before continuing to Australia to meet counterpart Anthony Albanese.
Why it matters: Modi's three-day Jakarta stop — the first leg of a regional tour also including Australia — puts concrete shape on India-Indonesia partnership: eight agreements, a BrahMos missile negotiation reportedly at an advanced stage, and a digital platform modeled on India's stack. For two G20 and BRICS members casting themselves as Global South leaders, defense procurement is moving from rhetoric to contract terms.
