India and Indonesia on Monday signed three agreements following delegation-level talks in New Delhi headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
PM Modi said that India and Indonesia have agreed to ensure safety and security of the sea lanes while prioritising defence and security cooperation.
As two important maritime nations that are also neighbours, we agreed to cooperate to ensure the safety and security of the sea lanes, in disaster response and environmental protection.
Modi said that a joint statement on maritime cooperation signed after Monday's talks outlined "the agenda of our engagement in this field".
"Our partnership will also extend to combatting terrorism, organised crime, drugs and human trafficking," he stated.
Besides the joint statement on maritime cooperation, the two sides also signed two memorandums of understanding (MoUs) on cooperation in the areas of youth and sports, and standardisation.
The agreement on maritime cooperation assumes significance as several Southeast Asian nations have problems with China over the South China Sea.
(With inputs from IANS)
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