Maritime Security Cooperation Between India and Indonesia: Imperatives,Status and Prospects

Abstract

India and Indonesia are two key emerging economies in the Indo-Pacific region—both with a strong reliance on the maritime domain for sustained economic growth. After a relatively tumultuous phase in their bilateral relations during the Cold War, the countries have embarked on a path of reconciliation and developing stronger ties.

During this phase, there has understandably been a strong focus on enhancing maritime security cooperation between them, so as to obtain positive bilateral and regional outcomes. This has gained impetus in recent years with congruence of thought at the political level in both New Delhi and Jakarta. However, the many institutional mechanisms developed over the years have not been as effective in engendering tangible security outcomes in the region. Both countries—and indeed the Indo-Pacific region—would decidedly benefit from focusing on key areas of cooperation in maritime security that promise mutually beneficial operational outcomes and the prospect of establishing long-term cooperative mechanisms in the Indo-Pacific region.