Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is on a state visit to Indonesia which began on 6 July 2026 and culminates on 8 July 2026. This visit, undertaken at the President of the Republic of Indonesia, H.E. Mr. Prabowo Subianto, the fourth visit PM Modi has made to Indonesia. This is the first bilateral visit by PM Modi to Indonesia after the diplomatic relations between the two countries were raised to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in May 2018. It also reciprocates the state visit of President Subianto to India in January 2025, when he was the Chief Guest at the Republic Day celebrations. The visit includes bilateral discussions with the Indonesian leader, an address to the Indian diaspora, and a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage site Prambanan Temple complex at Yogyakarta. This marks the first leg of PM Modi’s three-nation overseas tour, which thereafter proceeds to Melbourne in Australia and Auckland in New Zealand respectively. Preparations for this visit were discussed back in June between the Indonesian Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr. Sugiono and Minister of External Affairs of India, Dr S. Jaishankar during the 8th Indonesia–India Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) held in New Delhi.
PM Modi arrived at Jakarta on the evening of 6 July. In a special gesture, Indonesian Air Force fighter jets escorted his aircraft as it entered Indonesian airspace. He was accorded a warm welcome upon his arrival by President Subianto, Indonesian ministers, the Indian ambassador to Indonesia, Mr Sandeep Chakravorty, and the gathered members of the Indian community. A cultural programme with Indonesian and Indian dance performances was held for the ceremonial welcome of PM Modi at the Istana Merdeka, the Presidential Palace located in Jakarta.
President Subianto and PM Modi engaged in comprehensive bilateral talks on 7 July. The discussion focused on fortifying energy, economic, technological, and defence capacities of both countries. Multiple sectors saw concrete outcomes. Defence agreements and Indian defence exports, maritime security, steel and mineral industry, agriculture, health, education, and cooperation in telecommunications and digital technology were some key areas of deliberation. The discussions at the bilateral visit aim to reinforce the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and Indonesia.
Along with cooperation and agreements in multiple ventures and exchanges, the successful discussions resulted in the announcement of 20 outcomes, comprising 14 Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) and agreements along with six major announcements, including the extension of certain previous MoUs For instance, in recognition of the shared cultural heritage between them, India has pledged its assistance in the conservation and restoration of Prambanan Temple Complex at Yogyakarta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Additionally, the countries launched the “Tagore-Dewantara Year of Cultural and Educational Diplomacy.” It is a year-long programme of educational and cultural initiatives that marks the centenary of Rabindranath Tagore’s 1927 visit to Indonesia, while also honouring Ki Hajar Dewantara, an Indonesian national hero. A branch campus of the Indian Institute of Management will also be set up at Singhasari Special Economic Zone in Indonesia.
The defence sector saw important developments, such as the cooperation on the BrahMos System and the signing of the “Air-to-Air Missile Cooperation Agreement.” These will provide an effective boost to indigenous weapons manufacturing of India. The deployment of an Indonesian Liaison Officer in the Indian Navy’s Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) will increase cooperation in maritime security and navigation. The “MoU and Implementation Arrangement on Maritime Safety and Security Cooperation” received an extension.
The “MoU on Cooperation in the field of Minerals and Technology of Steel Supply Chain” was signed, along with the MoU between the India-based Non-Ferrous Materials Technology Development Centre (NFTDC) and Midwest Limited, and the Indonesian PT Pertamina on development of rare earth magnets. They seek to induce investments and cooperation in the mineral and mining sector and enhance the supply chains therein. A Strategic Joint Venture to establish a stainless-steel slab manufacturing unit in Indonesia between Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) and Pt. Krakatau Steel was announced.
The food and agriculture sectors were also discussed with a view to enhancing food security, farmer incomes, and sustainable agriculture. India has pledged a supply of a hundred tonnes of high quality DWR-162 (a wheat variety developed by the Directorate of Wheat Research, Karnal) wheat seeds to Indonesia. The “MoU on Cooperation in the field of Agriculture and Allied Sectors” was signed. The health sector saw cooperation in the form of an MoU signed between CDSCO and BPOM for the regulation of medical products and to encourage the best global regulatory standards. “Implementation Arrangement on Health Workforce Collaboration” was also signed. Technological cooperation and knowledge sharing initiatives were undertaken, wherein MoUs were announced on the peaceful exploration of outer space, disaster management, wireless and quantum systems, and digital public infrastructure. Notably, Indonesia launched the Indonesia Open Network (ION), a digital commerce platform based on the architecture of India’s Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). The Election Commission of India (ECI) and the General Elections Commission (KPU) of Indonesia also signed an MoU to share best practices, administrative methods and technological interventions.
PM Modi was awarded the highest civilian honour of Indonesia, the “Bintang Republik Indonesia Adipurna” (Star of the Republic of Indonesia).” (Star of the Republic of Indonesia). The award was announced in a joint press statement by the Indonesian President Mr. Prabowo Subianto. PM Modi remarked during the statement, “This honour belongs to the crores of Indians.” The honour has been heralded as a symbol of goodwill and friendship between India and Indonesia by PM Modi and several Indian leaders like Shri Om Birla and Dr. S. Jaishankar.
