Tag: Jakarta

Modi Opening Indian Embassy

Modi Announces Opening Of Indian Embassy In Timor-Leste

By LokMarg

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced the opening of India’s embassy in Dili, Timor-Leste while addressing the 20th ASEAN-India Summit in Jakarta 

“Act East in action – Delhi to Dili! At the ASEAN-India Summit in Jakarta, PM @narendramodi announces decision to open our Embassy in Dili, Timor-Leste,” posted Spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs, Arindam Bagchi on X after PM Modi’s announcement.

Dili is the capital city of Timor-Leste, or East Timor, on the country’s north coast. The city holds importance as it recalls the nation’s struggles for independence from Portugal as well as Indonesia. 

India was one of the early countries to establish diplomatic relations with Timor Leste  and was represented at its Independence Day celebrations in May 2002 by a high level delegation led by the then Minister of State for External Affairs. An MOU formally establishing diplomatic relations was signed on 24 January 2003. 

India’s decision to open an embassy in Dilli its commitment to the Act East policy.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi said that ASEAN is the central pillar of India’s Act East policy and it has an important place in India’s Indo-Pacific initiative. He also termed the engagement with the ASEAN group as an important pillar of India’s ‘Act East Policy’.

“Our history and geography unite India and ASEAN. Along with it, our shared values, regional integration, and our shared belief in peace, prosperity and a multipolar world also unite us. ASEAN is the central pillar of India’s Act East Policy. India supports ASEAN’s outlook on ASEAN-India centrality and Indo-Pacific,” PM Modi said in his address in Hindi.

In his departure statement, before leaving for Jakarta on Wednesday, PM Modi noted that engagement with the ASEAN is an important pillar of India’s ‘Act East Policy’, and said he is looking forward to exchanging views with leaders of the grouping on the “future contours” of partnership which has now entered its fourth decade.

“My first engagement will be the 20th ASEAN-India Summit. I look forward to discussing with ASEAN leaders the future contours of our partnership, which has now entered its fourth decade. Engagement with ASEAN is an important pillar of India’s ‘Act East’ policy,” PM Modi said.

PM Modi, who is in Jakarta, will return to New Delhi on Thursday evening ahead of the G20 Summit, which will be held on September 9 and 10. (ANI)

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18th East Asia Summit

18th East Asia Summit Begins In Jakarta

By LokMarg

Indonesia President Joko Widodo on Thursday thanked leaders of the East Asia Summit for making it a forum for all in order to strengthen cooperation.

In his address to the 18th East Asia Summit that began in Jakarta today, Widodo said, “Essentially we acknowledge stability and peace as the main key to achieve prosperity. ASEAN is steadfast in making this vision an epicentrum of growth and therefore ASEAN will continue to work to play a role as country leader…”

“ASEAN will really appreciate that if this East Asia summit can agree on a leader statement and its determination as the epicentrum of growth,” Widodo said.

Indonesia is the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year. 

The Indonesian President said that it is at this time when the international community will assess if “we are leaders with the wisdom to make the world a better place for all.”

“I thank once again the leaders of the East Asia Summit of making this forum for us to strengthen the cooperation. I call on all the leaders to show the wisdom, to show the leadership for the success of this,” said Widodo as he declared the East Asia Summit open.

The East Asia Summit would provide an opportunity for leaders of ASEAN countries and its eight dialogue partners, including India, to exchange views on issues of regional and global significance.

East Asia Summit is the foremost of the ASEAN-centered mechanisms in the Indo-Pacific. Since its inception in 2005, it has played a significant role in providing a platform for dialogue and discussion on matters of strategic importance to the region.

At this 18 th East Asia Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders will discuss ways to further strengthen the East Asia Summit mechanism, as well as exchange views on matters of regional and international interest. 

EAS consists of 10 ASEAN Member States (i.e. Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam), Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation and the USA. East Asia Summit is an initiative of ASEAN and is based on the premise of the centrality of ASEAN.

Prime Minister Modi attended the 20th ASEAN-India Summit and the 18th East Asia Summit at the invitation of Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo. The Prime Minister’s visit to Indonesia comes ahead of the G20 Summit to be held in New Delhi on September 9-10 under India’s Presidency this year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi who arrived in Indonesia early Thursday morning said that it is an “honour” for him to co-chair the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-India summit.

Earlier PM Modi said he is looking forward to “working with various leaders for making a better planet.” He said, “Last year we celebrated the India-ASEAN Friendship Day and gave it a form of comprehensive strategic partnership…”

The ASEAN-India Summit is the first summit since the elevation of the ties between India and the ASEAN bloc of countries to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2022.

“Engagement with ASEAN is an important pillar of India’s ‘Act East’ policy,” PM Modi said in his departure statement. The 20th ASEAN-India Summit is a “greatly cherished” partnership, PM Modi said in a post on X. (ANI)

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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar

Jaishankar Meets Indonesian FM, Discusses EAS, G20 Summit

By LokMarg

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi as he arrived in Jakarta to attend the ASEAN Summit on Wednesday. 

EAM Jaishankar’s meeting with his Indonesia Counterpart was focused on the East Asia Summit and G20 summit which is being hosted by India this year, informed the Indian Minister’s post on X. 

Taking to X, Jaishankar said, “Arrived in Jakarta to attend ASEAN Summit-related meetings. Delighted to meet my friend @Menlu_RI again. Our discussions focused on the East Asia Summit and the G20 Summit.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Indonesia to attend the 20th ASEAN-India Summit and the 18th East Asia Summit (EAS) on Wednesday.

PM Modi will leave for Indonesia on Wednesday (September 6) evening and will return to New Delhi late in the evening on the following day.

The Prime Minister will be in Jakarta at the invitation of the President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo. Both the ASEAN-India Summit and the 18th East Asia Summit (EAS) will take place on September 7 (Thursday).

Indonesia, the current chair of ASEAN, made adjustments to the schedule for both summits to facilitate Modi’s early return. PM Modi’s visit to Indonesia comes ahead of the G20 Summit to be held in New Delhi on September 9-10 under India’s Presidency this year.

Indonesia is part of the G20 ‘troika’ as it had the presidency of the grouping last year.

The forthcoming ASEAN-India Summit will be the first Summit since the elevation of ties between India and the Association of South East Asian Nations bloc of countries to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2022.

The foreign ministry said that the the Summit will review the progress of India-ASEAN relations and chart the future direction of cooperation.

This year the ASEAN Summit will be chaired by Indonesia under the theme “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth.” This theme indicates that Indonesia expects the ASEAN to be relevant and significant as the centre of economic growthAccording to a statement, the East Asia Summit would provide an opportunity for leaders of ASEAN countries and its eight dialogue partners, including India, to exchange views on issues of regional and global significance.

In August, ASEAN-India Economic Ministers met in Indonesia and the main agenda of this year’s meeting was the timely review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) which was signed in 2009.

A joint committee agreed to a regular, quarterly schedule of negotiations, which would conclude the review of the ASEAN-India FTA in 2025.

In 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Jakarta at the invitation of Indonesian President Widodo. During this visit, both leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation in all areas by establishing a New Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to take the bilateral relationship between Indonesia and India into a new era. (ANI)

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Earthquake Of Magnitude 4.1 Strikes Arunachal

Indonesia: Earthquake Kills 162, 100 Injured

By LokMarg

The death toll in a powerful earthquake that rattled Indonesia’s main island of Java on Monday has increased to 162 people while injuring hundreds of others.

The rescuers are searching for survivors trapped under the rubble amid a series of aftershocks, reported Al Jazeera.
The epicenter of the 5.6 magnitude earthquake was near the town of Cianjur in mountainous West Java, about 75km (45 miles) southeast of the capital, Jakarta. The region is home to over 2.5 million people.

The tremors destroyed many buildings and were felt in Cianjur in West Java at a depth of 10 km. Hundreds of buildings were damaged, including an Islamic boarding school, a hospital, and other public facilities.

The toll is expected to rise further, but no estimates were immediately available. The residents of Cianjur live mostly in towns of single and two-storey buildings and in smaller homes in the surrounding countryside, reported Al Jazeera.

Many of the dead were public school students who had finished their classes for the day and were taking extra lessons at several Islamic schools when they collapsed, West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil said as he announced the new death toll in the remote area.

Kamil said that more than 13,000 people whose homes were heavily damaged were taken to evacuation centres. He said on his Instagram page that 326 others have been injured, reported Al Jazeera.

“So many buildings crumbled and shattered,” Kamil told reporters. “There are residents trapped in isolated places … so we are under the assumption that the number of injured and deaths will rise with time.”

Indonesia’s national disaster mitigation agency, BNPB, still lists the toll at 62 and rescuers were searching for 25 believed to be trapped under the rubble. Its spokesperson said the search would continue through the night, reported Al Jazeera.

Due to miscounting, officials offered wildly fluctuating death tolls after an Indonesian stadium disaster last month.

Meanwhile, footage from Metro TV showed structures in Cianjur reduced almost entirely to rubble as worried residents huddled outside.

Dwikorita Karnawati, head of the weather and geophysics agency BMKG, advised people to stay outdoors in case of aftershocks.

In the two hours after the quake, 25 aftershocks were recorded, BMKG reported, adding there was a danger of landslides, especially in the event of heavy rain.

“We call on people to stay outside the buildings for now as there might be potential aftershocks,” Karnawati told reporters.

The country of more than 270 million people is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis because of its location on the “Ring of Fire”, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.

In February 2022, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake killed at least 25 people and injured more than 460 in West Sumatra province. (ANI)

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