India-Indonesia must work together in maritime security: President Pranab Mukherjee

NEW DELHI: Underlining strong historical ties between the two countries, President Pranab Mukherjee has said India and Indonesia must work together in maritime security area to achieve strategic stability and security in the Indo-Pacific and safety and security of sea lanes.

Welcoming Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who is on his first State visit here, Mukherjee said India and Indonesia have age-old bilateral ties and they share a common experience of struggle for freedom from the colonial rule.

Mukherjee said he sees India and Indonesia as two countries providing a bulwark against radicalism and intolerance.


"India values its cooperation with Indonesia to address these common security concerns and transnational threats. Our proximity as close maritime neighbours indicates that this is a key area where we must work together as partners to achieve strategic stability and security in the Indo-Pacific and safety and security of sea lanes," he said.

In his banquet speech yesterday, Mukherjee said India would be happy to contribute to Indonesia's 'maritime fulcrum vision' of Indonesia Nusantara and, thereby, also to the security of the Indo-Pacific region.

"In the multilateral and global context of facing the common challenges of the 21st Century, India and Indonesia, together, are factors of stability for the world," he said.

He said India attaches high importance to Indonesia's success as a pluralistic democracy with an open society based on the shared values of syncretism, tolerance and respect for diversity.

The President sought Indonesia's "active support" for strengthening India-ASEAN relations during 2017 when the regional group will meet for 15 years of Summit level interaction.