While two key MoUs were inked, no extradition treaty was signed on Sunday after Vice-President Hamid Ansari held a tête-à-tête and delegation-level talks with his counterpart Jusuf Kalla at the Vice-President’s Palace in Jakarta.
The dignitaries, however, agreed on two expected agreements — cooperation in new and renewable energy, and renewal of the cultural exchange programme 2015-18.
Mr. Ansari said the energy pact would serve the commitments India and Indonesia had made to reduce carbon emissions by 35 and 29 per cent respectively by 2030.
The Vice-President thanked Indonesia for its support in organising Sahabat India: The Festival of India in Indonesia’ early this year. He also congratulated the country for having assumed the chairmanship of the Indian Ocean Rim Association last week.
Mr. Ansari maintained that the two nations shared similar positions on several issues — including climate change, maritime security and freedom of the seas in the South China sea. He said he discussed with Mr. Kalla the expansion of cooperation in defence and counter-terrorism by intensifying the existing mechanisms.
Chhota Rajan issue
Ahead of the meeting, an exchange of notes on the 2011 Extradition Treaty was highly anticipated. However, according to External Affairs Ministry sources, impediments on the legal side saw Indonesia hesitating to firm up the modalities of the pact that would have enabled the immediate extradition of gangster Chhota Rajan, nabbed recently in Bali.
While sources said Rajan can still be extradited through other instruments, the 2011 treaty might not turn out to be the much-anticipated solution.
Answering a question, however, Mr. Ansari said: “The deportation of [Rajan] is being dealt with by concerned agencies. We are receiving active cooperation from the Indonesian counterparts and the matter is very much underway.”
Following delegation-level talks, Mr. Ansari is scheduled to call on Indonesian President Joko Widodo, meet Megawati Soekarnoputri, chairperson of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and former President, and play host to Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.
