A humorous exchange between Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Prime Minister Narendra Modi drew applause and laughter at a state banquet, with the Indonesian leader joking that he had "copied" several of the Indian prime minister's initiatives because of their success.
The light-hearted moment unfolded as India and Indonesia announced a series of agreements aimed at expanding cooperation in defence, technology, education and agriculture.
Addressing PM Modi in the presence of ministers, senior officials and other dignitaries, President Prabowo openly expressed his admiration for India's development model and said Indonesia had looked to many of its initiatives for inspiration.
"I follow your career, and I copied many of your programmes. I don't mind admitting, because if it succeeds for hundreds of million people with the same background as Indonesia, the same problems, we are making the same, we have the same problems of big population, we have agriculture in the background, we face many natural disasters, and yet India has achieved much progress. So I openly admit that I follow your career and I copied a lot of your programmes," he said.
His remarks prompted laughter across the banquet hall before he added another quip.
"And it's proving to be successful for us. So, thank you very much. I'm very happy there's no copyright to all your programmes."
President Prabowo also disclosed that an Indonesian delegation had recently returned after spending several weeks in India to study methods of converting arid land into productive agricultural land.
"In fact, I think yesterday, a team from Indonesia just came back from, I think two or three weeks of study of the achievements many Indian groups have achieved in making arid land arable again. It's called permaculture. So we are studying this closely, and we have a lot to learn, and we are not afraid of learning," he said.
The banquet coincided with a series of major announcements intended to strengthen bilateral ties. Among them was the unveiling of a Memorandum of Understanding on BrahMos-Astra missiles, along with plans to establish campuses of the Indian Institute of Technology and the Indian Institute of Management in Indonesia.
Highlighting the outcomes of the discussions, PM Modi said, "We have signed an agreement to deepen collaboration in tech, AI, and startup businesses," adding, "We will be opening a campus of Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIM-B) in Indonesia."
The two countries also signed agreements spanning space cooperation, critical minerals, disaster management, agriculture and maritime affairs. They agreed to work towards connecting their cross-border QR payment systems and to jointly preserve the UNESCO-listed Prambanan Temple Complex.
During the visit, President Prabowo presented PM Modi with Indonesia's highest civilian honour, the Bintang Adipurna.
Accepting the award, PM Modi said, "The respect shown through this medal is for every Indian, and I would like to thank Indonesia on their behalf."
PM Modi is on a three-day visit to Indonesia as part of a broader three-nation tour. The trip marks his first bilateral visit to the country since India and Indonesia elevated their ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2018.
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