Indonesian President Prabowo will be the chief guest at India’s Republic Day parade, a sign of the importance New Delhi accords its relations with Jakarta.
Earlier this month, the Indonesian President’s Office confirmed that President Prabowo Subianto had accepted an invitation to be the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in January. This would be the fourth time for an Indonesian president to attend the event as a chief guest, including in 2018 when India hosted all 10 leaders of the ASEAN countries as chief guests.
It was Indonesia’s first President Sukarno who was the chief guest of India’s first Republic Day celebrations on January 26, 1950. New Delhi’s choice of Sukarno as the chief guest reflected the geopolitical realities of the time. Sukarno was a close ally of India’s Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and a fellow advocate of independence for Asian and African countries.
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