Modi in Indonesia: PM flies kites with Prez Joko Widodo, visits Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday held talks with Indonesian President Joko Widodo and flew kites along with him at a Kite exhibition in Jakarta during his first-ever official visit to Indonesia.

Modi was accorded a red carpet welcome on his arrival at the Merdeka palace, one of the presidential palaces in Indonesia and both the leaders had a tete-e-tete before the delegation-level talks.

Modi and Widodo flew kites as they inaugurated the first joint kite exhibition themed on India's largest epics Ramayana and Mahabharata at the Jakarta's National Monument here.

They also participated in the 'Kite Exhibition' which showcases the strong civilisational links between India and Indonesia.

"The Leaders jointly unveiled a Kite Exhibition on the theme of Ramayana and Mahabharat," Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

The exhibition is themed on Hindu mythology epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata with images on kites of Lord Rama killing his rival Ravana and of demons.

"Cultural connect touching the skies! Ramayana themed joint kite exhibit unveiled...Ahmedabad and Jakarta Kite Museums exchange MoUs. PM Modi and Indonesian President together taking the relationship to new heights!," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

#WATCH PM Narendra Modi and Indonesian President Joko Widodo fly kites at a Kite exhibition in Jakarta pic.twitter.com/pQg39OgvOZ

— ANI (@ANI) May 30, 2018

PM Modi also visited the Istiqlal mosque in the capital of the world's biggest Muslim-majority country. "Glad to have visited the Istiqlal Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the world," Modi tweeted.

He also paid tributes to the martyrs of Indonesia's freedom struggle at the Kalibata National Heroes Cemetery in Jakarta.

The two leaders also highlighted potential areas of cooperation in marine, economy, and socio-culture as well as discussed regional and global issues.

In a joint press statement after the talks, Modi said India and Indonesia have agreed to upgrade their ties to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

He said that India's Act East Policy and the vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for all in the Region) matches President Widodo's Maritime Fulcrum Policy.

"In the Indo-pacific region, we, as partners, have mutual interests in each other's progress and well-being and that's why we have agreed upon mutual vision and principles for the Indo-pacific region," he said.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister strongly condemned the recent terror strikes on three churches in Indonesia and said India stands resolutely with Jakarta in its fight against terrorism.

"Friends, I am in grief over the deaths of innocent civilians of Indonesia in the recent terror attacks. India strongly condemns such attacks and stands with Indonesia in its fight against terrorism," Modi said in a press statement

15 Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) signed between India and Indonesia 

Under Business to Business (B2B) and Government to Business (G2B) the agreements were signed between Kite Museum Ahmedabad and Layang Layang Gujarat to promote and popularise the art of kite designing. 

Archaeological Survey of India and Indonesia's PT Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur, Prambanan and Ratu Boko have decided to work together on beautifying world cultural heritage of the Prambanan Temple and the Taj Mahal.

The MoU on scholarship cooperation programme was also signed, that would facilitate study and research at IIIT Bangalore.

(With agency inputs)