Lucknow, Aug 13 (IANS) India and Indonesia held the 12th Army-to-Army Staff Talks (AAST) here, with the discussions focussed on strengthening defence cooperation, enhancing expertise exchanges, and deepening military-to-military ties, the Indian Army said.
“12th India-Indonesia Army-to-Army Staff Talks, AAST, are being held in Lucknow from 11-13 Aug 2026. The Indian Army delegation held discussions with the Indonesian Army (TNI-AD) delegation, led by Brig Gen Ari Prasetya, VACOS Intelligence”, the army’s Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADGPI) said in a post on X.
“Discussions focused on strengthening bilateral Defence Cooperation, expanding the scope of joint training, enhancing expertise exchanges and deepening military-to-military ties, while reaffirming the commitment to a strong India-Indonesia strategic partnership,” it added.
Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a three-day visit to Indonesia. During the visit, PM Modi held talks with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, addressed the Indonesian Parliament and attended an Indian community programme.
During their meeting, PM Modi and President Subianto reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral ties and discussed issues of global and multilateral interests. The two leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.
“The leaders reviewed the full spectrum of the India-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership encompassing trade and investment, defence and security, maritime cooperation, energy, healthcare and pharma, space, critical minerals and rare earths, culture, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
The two sides witnessed the exchange of several bilateral documents, including maritime safety and security, space cooperation, defence, steel supply chain, rare earths, health, agriculture, and science and technology, among others.
PM Modi and President Subianto jointly inaugurated the UNESCO World Heritage Prambanan Temple restoration project in Yogyakarta.
In May, the military exercise Partnership of Regional Armies for Growth and Transformation in IOR (PRAGATI) 2026 was conducted in Meghalaya, reinforcing collective commitment towards peace, stability, and security in the Indian Ocean Region, the Indian Army said.
Bringing together over 400 troops from 12 friendly foreign countries, the exercise fostered camaraderie and enhanced operational synergy. Conducted in the spirit of partnership and shared responsibility, PRAGATI reinforced the collective commitment towards peace, stability, and security in the Indian Ocean Region, the Army added.
The two-week-long exercise brought together participants from Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam to strengthen regional cooperation, interoperability, and strategic coordination among the participating countries.
–IANS
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