India-Indonesia relations have seen many ups and downs since the Bandung Afro-Asian Conference, held in 1955, when the combined voice of Jawaharlal Nehru and Sukarno was able to effectively put forward the concerns and interests of non-aligned countries at international forums. While the Bandung Conference witnessed the high watermark in the bilateral relationship, the relationship reached its nadir during the Indo-Pak War of 1965, when the Indonesian government not only supplied weapons to Pakistan but also reportedly stage-managed a mob attack on the Indian embassy in Jakarta. India’s friendship with communist Vietnam and the USSR and Indonesia’s domestic and regional priorities further slowed down the level of engagement between the two countries. The change in the guard in Indonesia after the accession of Suharto and the focus of both India and Indonesia on the ‘China-threat theory,’ somewhat mellowed down the bitterness in the bilateral relationship and helped them find some common ground for cooperation.

Bilateral relations took off after India launched its Look East policy in 1993 and since then, India’s relationship with the ASEAN and its bilateral engagement with Indonesia has assumed a mutually reinforcing character. While India’s rising profile in Southeast Asia has brought it closer to Indonesia, the latter’s strategic partnership with Indonesia has further raised India’s profile in the ASEAN region. Indonesia has played a key role in getting India the ASEAN, ASEAN Regional Forum and the East Asian Summit memberships. Their constant emphasis on building up regional peace and security has further created a common ground between the two countries for building up strategic partnership in the region.

India’s relations with Indonesia since have reached a new level of understanding, demonstrating shared interests in making Asia an “arc of advantage and prosperity.” Building on their historical and cultural linkages, both the countries have not only consolidated their bilateral ties but also opened up new areas of cooperation, thereby, further widening and deepening the arena of cooperation. Both the countries have worked together not only on bilateral issues but also at the regional and international level. Although Indo-Indonesian economic engagement increased pace with the Look East policy, the economic crisis in Southeast Asia and India’s economic growth gave a majorboost to their bilateral economic relationship. India’s growing strategic engagement with the US has added warmth to the bilateral relationship, providing strategic space for further maneuverability in the ASEAN region.