Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday received a warm welcome from the members of the Indian community at the hotel of his stay in Indonesia's Jakarta. PM Modi greeted members of the Indian community, who enthusiastically chanted "Modi Modi", while welcoming him at the hotel in Jakarta.
PM Modi witnessed cultural performances and applauded the artists who performed to welcome him. He also watched the shadow puppetry celebrating the timeless grandeur of the Ramayana. Earlier, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto welcomed PM Modi at the airport in Jakarta as he arrived on a three-day State Visit to Indonesia.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi later said that he was "deeply touched" by the special gesture of the Indonesian President. This is PM Modi's first bilateral visit to Jakarta since the elevation of ties to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2018 and he said that he is looking forward to the talks with President Subianto that will provide greater momentum to the close ties between both countries.
"Arrived in Jakarta. I was deeply touched by the warmth of President Prabowo Subianto, who personally welcomed me at the airport. In 2018, we elevated the relationship between our two countries to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which has brought many benefits to our peoples," PM Modi posted on X.
"During this visit, President Prabowo Subianto and I will hold discussions aimed at providing greater momentum to this partnership across various sectors. President Prabowo and I will also visit the Prambanan Temple complex in Yogyakarta. This visit will strengthen the cultural ties between our two nations even further.
While in Indonesia, I am also very much looking forward to the opportunity to interact with the Indian community," he added. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that President Prabowo Subianto and four ministers welcomed PM Modi at the airport.
PM Modi witnessed a cultural performance at the airport. Fighter jets from the Indonesian Air Force accompanied the Indian PM’s plane from the time it entered the Indonesian airspace. In his departure statement, PM Modi said that he will be in Indonesia from July 6-8 at the invitation of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.
"India and Indonesia elevated bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during my first visit to Indonesia in 2018. This will be my first bilateral visit after the elevation of our bilateral ties and follows the state visit of President Prabowo, who was the chief guest at our Republic Day celebrations on 26 January, 2025," the Prime Minister said.
He mentioned that India and Indonesia share strong civilisational and people-to-people ties, and this visit will "further deepen all aspects of our multifaceted partnership". "During this visit, I will also interact with the Indian diaspora in Indonesia and visit the Prambanan Temple complex at Yogyakarta with President Prabowo, which is another remarkable testament to our close cultural ties," he added. Indonesia is the first stop on PM Modi's three-nation visit. It will be followed by visits to Australia and New Zealand, later in the week.