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7 November 2024, Gateway House & Centre for Strategic and International Studies

India-Indonesia: Companion Souls in a New Era

India and Indonesia have a comprehensive strategic relationship built on their ancient and modern histories, and a flourishing relationship sustained by trade, economic exchange and people-to-people contact. The India-Indonesia Track 1.5 Dialogue, hosted by Gateway House and the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Indonesia, aims to provide policy recommendations to promote innovation and navigate evolving governance issues through bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

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The India-Indonesia Track 1.5 Dialogue is a two-year initiative between Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations, Mumbai, and the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Indonesia, Jakarta. Think tank experts, government officials, and business leaders will convene biennially to promote bilateral economic growth and innovation.

India and Indonesia have a comprehensive strategic relationship built on their ancient and modern histories, and a flourishing relationship sustained by trade, economic exchange and people-to-people contact. Both countries are expanding and there are new areas to explore for mutual benefit. They prioritise defence and security, energy, and the Indo-Pacific region. The Track 1.5 Dialogue is a suitable format for this. The Dialogue aims to provide policy recommendations to promote innovation and navigate evolving governance issues through bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

Therefore on 23-24 September 2024, Gateway House and CSIS Indonesia, co-hosted the first-ever India- Indonesia Track 1.5 Dialogue, in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, through the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in New Delhi; supported by Government of Maharashtra, India, along with Indorama and Sinarmas, Indonesia.

The two-day event focused on transforming India and Indonesia from the “companion souls” of Rabindranath Tagore’s 1927 journey to the geopolitical, geostrategic and geoeconomic partners of today, assisting each to expand their space on the global stage as the largest and third largest democracies. The thematic sessions were chosen to reflect the strengths of both countries and the technical collaborations that can be effectively leveraged.

The roundtable discussion was held in-person in Mumbai. Government officials, corporations, entrepreneurs and leading scholars and experts from both India and Indonesia participated in the dialogue.

The dialogue was opened by Ashish Kumar Sinha, Joint Secretary (South), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India; Y. Jatmiko Heru Prasetyo, Director for South and Central Asian Affairs, Directorate General of Asia-Pacific and African Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Indonesia; Sandeep Chakravorty, Ambassador, Embassy of the Republic of India in Jakarta and Ina H. Krisnamurthi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in New Delhi.

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This report has been published by Gateway House and the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Indonesia, in partnership with the Public Policy & Research division of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, and the Embassy of Indonesia in New Delhi. It has also been supported by Government of Maharashtra, India, along with Indorama and Sinarmas, Indonesia. Read the full report here.

For interview requests with the authors, or for permission to republish, please contact outreach@gatewayhouse.in.

© Copyright 2024 Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized copying or reproduction is strictly prohibited.

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