New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will undertake a three-nation tour of Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand from July 6-11, during which he will hold talks aimed at expanding cooperation in defence, trade, maritime security and other key sectors, the MEA said Friday.
Modi will first visit Indonesia from July 6-8, followed by Australia, where his main engagements will be held in Melbourne. He will conclude the tour with a visit to New Zealand, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
Modi’s visit to New Zealand would be special as it will be the first by an Indian prime minister in nearly 40 years, it said.
India and Indonesia share historical and warm people-to-people ties. In keeping with these special bonds, the prime minister will visit the Prambanan Temple complex at Yogyakarta, a prominent UNESCO World Heritage Site in Indonesia, the ministry said.
Talking to reporters, MEA Secretary (East) Rudrendra Tandon said while Jakarta would be the main venue of engagements in Indonesia, Modi will also visit the historic city of Yogyakarta.
The prime minister will visit the Prambanan temple complex, where India is planning to work with Indonesia. India and Indonesia will be collaborating on the conservation work there, he said.
Built in the 10th century, Prambanan is the largest temple compound dedicated to Lord Shiva in Indonesia, according to the UNESCO website.
Tandon said Indonesia, given its size and geography, has always played an important role in ensuring the security and stability of the Malacca Strait maritime zone.
This is a very important maritime zone for India, as it represents one of the important sea lanes of communication for India as an Indian Ocean nation, and for the global economy itself, Tandon said.
This will be Modi’s fourth visit to Indonesia, and his first bilateral visit since the elevation of India-Indonesia ties to the level of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in May 2018, the MEA said.
The comprehensive strategic partnership has become a major building block of India’s Act East policy and the MAHASAGAR vision over these last few years, he said.
Indonesia is also a key country within the ASEAN grouping, playing a collective role in strengthening the rules-based order in this zone, he said.
The visit will very much be a continuation of the conversations on various bilateral tracks of cooperation that began when President Prabowo visited India as the Guest of Honour for the Republic Day celebrations in 2025, Tandon said.
The leaders will review the ties and try moving it forward in all aspects of the relationship, particularly in the maritime cooperation dimension, defence, in enhancing the trade and economic relationship and the age-old people-to-people and cultural ties that exist with Indonesia and other countries in the region, he said.
Modi will hold bilateral discussions with President Prabowo and review the progress made in the partnership. He will also address a large gathering of the Indian diaspora in Jakarta.
From Indonesia, Modi will travel to Melbourne from July 8-10 at the invitation of the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and hold bilateral discussions with him.
He will participate in the third India-Australia Annual Summit, Tandon said, adding the conversations will cover emerging areas of the bilateral relations, in particular the critical minerals, the cybersecurity domain, supply chain resilience, emerging technologies, and others.
Asked about defence items on the agenda, Vishwesh Negi, Joint Secretary (Indo-Pacific), told reporters, On the question of cooperation in defence between India and Australia, it has emerged as one of the key sectors of our bilateral cooperation in the last few years.
The scale and frequency of engagements between the militaries and defence officials (of both countries) have risen exponentially in the last few years, he said.
Referring to the recent visit of Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles, Negi said he had a very fruitful meeting with our defence minister.
Our expectation is that in the leaders’ meeting next week, we would be able to further expand cooperation in newer areas of defence collaboration, he said.
The MEA said Modi will also call on Australia’s Governor General, Sam Mostyn.
During his visit, he will participate in the India-Australia CEOs Forum and address a gathering of top business leaders from both countries. He will also address a large gathering of the Indian diaspora, which the ministry described as a strong pillar of the India-Australia relationship.
From Melbourne, Modi will travel to Auckland July 10 for a state visit to New Zealand at the invitation of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, the MEA said.
In Auckland, the prime minister will hold bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Luxon and review the entire gamut of the bilateral relationship, which has seen significant progress in the last two years, especially in the areas of trade and commerce and defence, the ministry said.
While in Auckland, he will also interact with prominent business and sports personalities. In a reflection of the strong people-to-people ties that exist between India and New Zealand. Modi will address a large gathering of the Indian diaspora during the visit.