NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand next week, as New Delhi seeks to strengthen strategic ties in the region.
The Jul 8 to Jul 11 tour comes after Modi’s visits to Mauritius March last year and Seychelles last month, reflecting what India’s external affairs ministry described as a shift in diplomatic focus to the eastern maritime region under its “Act East” policy.
“The focus has shifted to the eastern maritime zones of the Indian Ocean and our Act East engagement,” senior Indian foreign ministry official Rudrendra Tandon, told reporters at a news briefing on Friday (Jul 3).
Modi will visit Indonesia on Jul 8 and 9, where he is scheduled to hold talks in Jakarta before travelling to the historic city of Yogyakarta and the UNESCO-listed Prambanan Temple complex, where India and Indonesia are planning to collaborate on conservation work.
Modi will review cooperation across a range of sectors during his visit to Indonesia, including maritime security, defence, trade and cultural ties, Tandon said.
It’s hoped this will build on talks held during Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s visit to India during Republic Day celebrations last year, Tandon added.
Modi will then travel to Melbourne on Jul 10 for the third India-Australia Annual Summit, an institutional dialogue established under the two countries’ Comprehensive Strategic Partnership launched in 2020.