look news india
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is likely to attend India’s Republic Day (January 26) celebrations as the chief guest this month. However, no official announcement has been made yet by India in this regard. According to reports, President Subianto was planned to visit Pakistan soon after his visit to India, but now he will visit Malaysia instead of Pakistan.
This will be the fourth time since 1950 that an Indonesian leader will attend India’s Republic Day celebrations. India invites leaders of only those countries with which it has close diplomatic relations for Republic Day. Indonesia is a close maritime neighbor of India, and the two countries have close historical, cultural and political ties. President Subianto and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently met during the G20 summit in Brazil. The visit is a part of India’s policy to strengthen relations with ASEAN countries.
Reason for canceling Pakistan tour
According to WION report, there were reports of President Subianto visiting Pakistan after his first visit to India. However, the Indian government has long been promoting a policy of “de-hyphenation”, whereby foreign leaders are requested not to visit Pakistan from India. This policy has been adopted due to the souring of relations between India and Pakistan and cross-border terrorism sponsored by Pakistan.
This policy of de-hyphenation first became part of American foreign policy during the second term of the George W. Bush administration. Its purpose was to differentiate policies towards India and Pakistan and to recognize India’s growing status as a global power.
This visit of the Indonesian President is considered important to commemorate the completion of 10 years of India’s “Act East Policy”. Last year, leaders of several ASEAN countries, including Vietnam and Malaysia, visited India, and Indian President Draupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi also visited the Southeast Asian country.
India and Indonesia have close relations in the maritime security, trade and cultural sectors, and the visit of President Subianto will further strengthen these relations between the two countries.