MoS Margherita attends Indonesian President's swearing-in ceremony, highlights bilateral ties

Jakarta: Union Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita represented India at the inauguration ceremony of Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming on Sunday.
In a post on the social media platform, X, Margherita, highlighted the details and underscored the significance of this year which marks a milestone in the positive bilateral ties between India and Indonesia as the two nations commemorate 75 years of establishment of diplomatic relations in 2024.
Prabowo who served as the defence minister in former President Joko Widodo's government, won the presidential elections with a margin of 59 per cent votes in the polls held on February 14 earlier this year. He and Widodo's son, the Vice President, Gibran Rakabuming are set to lead the country and take forward the development intiatives and policy measures started by Widodo.
Earlier today the Minister of State also paid tributes at the National Monument of Indonesia, which was created under the directions of Indonesia's first President Sukrano. The monument symbolises the spirit of struggle of the Indonesian people during Indonesia's independence movement against the Dutch.
During his visit, Margherita also interacted with business leaders representing prominent Indian companies present in Indonesia. He held deliberations upon the ongoing investment projects in Indonesia.
"Indonesia has emerged as India's second largest trade partner in ASEAN!" he said in post on X.
India and Indonesia share two millennia-old close cultural and commercial contacts. The two countries have supported each other from the days of the Non-Aligned Movement in the 1960s to India's present day Act East policy. The struggle against colonial powers, democratic traditions, pluralist culture, and progressive leadership are some of the common strands connecting India and Indonesia.
In the context of India's 'Act East Policy', it is the largest and most influential member of ASEAN. Indonesia has also emerged as India's largest trade partner in the ASEAN region, with whom India has recorded trade of over 35 billion USD.
The participation of MoS Margherita in the Inauguration Ceremony in Indonesia reaffirms India's commitment to further strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and Indonesia.
Margharita has been on a tour of significant voices of the global south this month. Previously, he had visited Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada and Mexico to have positive discussions on strengthening India's relationships with these important partner countries.
This reiterates PM Modi's stand on the importance of the global south coming together. "Need of the hour for countries of the Global South to unite, stand together with one voice and become one another's strength," he had highlighted.