In a boost to India’s Act East policy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay a visit to Indonesia and Singapore between May 29 and June 2. The External Affairs Ministry on Thursday announced that during the tour the Prime Minister was expected to focus on agreements in defence, skill development and connectivity.
“As far as defence cooperation with Indonesia is concerned, there is interest on maritime domain awareness and Navy-to-Navy cooperation is an important element (in this). We are also talking in terms of the renewal of the defence cooperation agreement,” said Priti Saran, Secretary in-charge of the eastern hemisphere in the Ministry.
The official said that defence interaction between India and Indonesia had intensified in recent years. “There are some agreements that are under discussion in the areas of defence, space and science and technology which are still being negotiated,” Ms. Saran said.
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She confirmed that India was in talks to upgrade ports and airports of Indonesia. The maritime affairs minister of the country had informed that India would soon be getting access to the strategic port of Sabang on the Strait of Malacca.
She said a kite-flying festival featuring tales from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata would be the cultural highlights during the visit of the Prime Minister.
The second part of the tour will include a visit to Singapore. “Prime Minister Modi will deliver the keynote address at the Shangri La Dialogue on June 1. The dialogue is a platform to articulate regional security issues and our Prime Minister will convey India’s view on peace and security in the region,” Ms. Saran said.
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Ms. Saran said the Shangri La Dialogue would be attended by several other international leaders but declined to confirm if Mr. Modi would be holding any bilateral meeting with counterparts from other countries.