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India and Indonesia see "tremendous potential for future development" in the area of defence ties, with the President of Indonesia set to send a high-powered defence delegation to India within the next few weeks, said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) at a special briefing on the state visit of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.
Secretary (East) of the Ministry of External Affairs, Jaideep Mazumdar, speaking about the development of ties in the defence sector, said, "On the defence side, there were very wide-ranging discussions on cooperation in the defence area. The defence industry cooperation is one of the important areas that was mentioned. Everything from joint exercises to far greater coordination and collaboration to greater talks to greater training exchanges, as well as things like repair and maintenance of common platforms, was discussed." "Both sides saw tremendous potential for future development, and the President in fact said that he would be sending a high-powered defence delegation to India within the next few weeks," the MEA official added. Speaking about connectivity between the two countries, he said, "Connectivity between the two countries was something that was discussed. As you know, we now have 21 flights a week between India and Indonesia. We have flights from Bangalore to Bali, from Mumbai to Jakarta, from Delhi to Bali, and we will soon have, I think, a flight from Delhi to Jakarta as well. This is important because both sides emphasise the importance of people-to-people connect." Further highlighting the importance of the tourism industry, Mazumdar noted, "Tourism is an important area. We had last year nearly 700,000 Indian tourists visiting Indonesia, which is a very huge jump from what it was a few years ago, and there is potential for increasing that manifold. So yes, that connectivity is an important area which we discussed". In a notable development in the space sector, Mazumdar said, "Space is another area in which we have had a long relationship. We will also be launching a couple of Indonesian satellites with our Polar Satellite Launched Vehicle. So yes, that is one area of also another area of cooperation". Signficantly, it was also mentioned that the two countries saw the signing of MOUs in five areas namely health, maritime, traditional medicine, digital development and cultural exchange between the two countries. (ANI)
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