Maritime neighbors Indonesia and India have vowed to bolster their partnership in the economy and defense sectors, with a view to improving connectivity as the two countries look ahead to welcome 70 years of diplomatic ties in 2019.

In his first visit to Indonesia, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral talk with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on Wednesday, during which they agreed to elevate bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Speaking in a joint statement after the meeting, Jokowi said that among the issues he discussed with Modi was the plan to develop infrastructure projects in the two countries’ respective outer islands that shared a maritime border with each other.

“India is Indonesia’s strategic partner in politics and defense, which includes, among other things, a partnership in the maritime sector,” Jokowi said at Merdeka Palace.

“We agree to enhance our cooperation on infrastructure and connectivity, including the development of Sabang Island and Andaman Island.”

Sabang Island in Aceh province is located about 166 kilometers from the southeasternmost tip of India’s Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which is positioned near the Strait of Malacca connecting the eastern part of the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea and serves as a shipping channel for global trade.

A joint statement released by India’s Ministry of External Affairs said the two country leaders noted the “successful visit” of Indonesian Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan to New Delhi on May 17-19, during which he promoted bilateral cooperation on, among other things, the maritime and tourism sectors.

Jokowi and Modi also welcomed the decision to set up a joint task force to handle port-related infrastructure projects in and around Sabang, according to the statement.

Luhut said last week that Sabang Port had a depth of 40 meters and could be developed to also accommodate submarines, according to media reports. When asked on Wednesday whether Indonesia and India would also develop the ports for defense cooperation, he said the matter had not yet been discussed.

Sabang Port would be developed into a transshipment port that would take over two years of development, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said.

Modi’s visit to Jakarta was seen by analysts as part of promoting India’s Act East policy, which also aimed to develop stronger ties with Southeast Asian countries as part of efforts to counter China’s maritime ambition in the region.

In his statement, Modi said that Indonesia and India shared similar concerns as maritime neighbors and that India’s Act East policy shared many similarities with Jokowi’s own global maritime fulcrum policy.

Modi emphasized that both countries shared the same vision of maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

Modi was referring to Jokowi’s policy, which consists of five pillars that aim to expand Indonesia’s maritime defense power, including securing its maritime wealth and sovereignty.

India’s maritime policy, called sagarmala (ocean garland), focuses on improving access to ports with its catchphrase of “port-led prosperity”.

During Jokowi’s visit to India in December 2016, in which the two country leaders issued a joint statement on enhancing maritime cooperation, Modi said the two had drafted a roadmap to realize the partnership.

“In our discussion today [Wednesday] we have also assessed the progress [of the cooperation]. We believe that the agreement today will further enhance our bilateral relations since we have decided toward greater partnership,” Modi said.

He also emphasized the importance of adherence to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and other international agreements in the region to reach a free, open, transparent, rules-based, peaceful, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.

Besides seaports, Indonesia also invited India to invest in the development of the hospital and fishery industry in Sabang, while Indonesia offered to contribute in the development of the tourist industry in Andaman Island, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said.

During the meeting, the two countries also signed fifteen memorandums of understanding (MoU), comprising nine government-to-government (G-to-G) agreements and six other non-G-to-G agreements, in sectors ranging from defense, education and technology to pharmaceuticals.

In the defense sector, in which the two countries are renewing a previous agreement, Indonesia and India agreed to, among other things, hold a regular bilateral dialogue exchanging strategic defense information and joint-training between the armies, navies and air forces of both countries, Retno said.

In the pharmaceutical sector, Indonesia aimed to get technology transfer from India to advance its own industry, including to produce generic drugs, Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) head Penny K. Lukito said.

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