NEW DELHI: Five Indonesian Air Force fighter jets escorted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s aircraft out of Indonesian airspace on Wednesday as he departed Jakarta for Australia after concluding his three-day state visit.According to visuals shared by news agency PTI, PM Modi acknowledged the fighter jets from inside the aircraft as they escorted his plane. Before his departure, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto personally saw off the Prime Minister at the airport.PM Modi had also received a similar ceremonial welcome on Monday, when Indonesian Air Force fighter jets escorted his aircraft upon entering Indonesian airspace.During his visit, Modi was warmly received by President Prabowo in Jakarta and witnessed a traditional dance performance.As he concluded the visit, the Prime Minister said the trip had opened “new avenues for cooperation” across key sectors, including defence, maritime collaboration, artificial intelligence and digital innovation.”As I conclude my visit to Indonesia, I leave with immense satisfaction at the outcomes achieved as far as the future of our partnership is concerned. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the people of Indonesia and to President Prabowo Subianto for his exceptional warmth and personal commitment to taking India-Indonesia relations to new heights,” Modi said.During wide-ranging talks on Tuesday, Prime Minister Modi and President Prabowo reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the India-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, covering political, defence, economic, technological and regional cooperation.According to a joint statement, Modi’s July 6-8 state visit marked an important milestone in bilateral ties following President Prabowo’s visit to India as the Chief Guest for the 76th Republic Day celebrations in January 2025. The two leaders agreed to hold regular summit meetings, including on the sidelines of multilateral events, while strengthening existing bilateral dialogue mechanisms.The leaders held bilateral talks in Jakarta, discussed a broad range of issues and witnessed the exchange of several agreements. Prime Minister Modi also addressed the Indonesian Parliament and attended a reception hosted by the Indian community.On defence and maritime cooperation, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to expanding defence ties through regular dialogues, joint military exercises, staff talks, defence research, co-production of defence technologies, hydrography, peacekeeping, information sharing and defence industrial cooperation. They also welcomed the elevation of defence cooperation through collaboration on the BrahMos missile system and the Air-to-Air Missile Cooperation Agreement.
