New Delhi: Last-minute preparations are underway for the visit of Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto to India later this month to participate in India's Republic Day on 26th January. During his visit, a 350-member strong Indonesian military contingent will also participate in the grand parade on the Kartavya Path. The Indonesian President had reviewed the troops that will take part in the Republic Day parade in Jakarta last month.

This invitation aligns with the ongoing efforts to strengthen bilateral ties, particularly in defence and strategic partnership. His visit comes as India marks 10 years of its "Act East" policy and is expected to give momentum to the relationship, especially on the connectivity front.
The first instance of an Indonesian President attending India's Republic Day was in 1950, when President Sukarno was the chief guest. Since then, many Presidents of Indonesia have been invited to be the chief guests at India's Republic Day parade. This includes the visits of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2011 and President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) in 2018. In fact, in 2018, Widodo was present at Republic Day alongside other ASEAN leaders to celebrate 25 years of India-ASEAN dialogue partnership.


In the last six months, there have been several key visits between leaders from India and ASEAN countries. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Vietnamese PM visited India in August 2024. In September 2024, PM Modi visited Brunei and Singapore; later in October 2024, he attended the 21st ASEAN-India Summit and the 19th East Asia Summit in Laos, where he unveiled a 10-point plan to strengthen India-ASEAN relations. Indian President Droupadi Murmu had travelled to Fiji, Timor Leste.