New Delhi, Oct 13 (IANS) Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhyono will be the chief guest at next year’s Republic Day parade in Delhi, official sources said.
India is increasingly seeing Indonesia as a strategic partner in the Southeast Asian region because it is a democracy, with the world’s largest Muslim population, and a country whose ties with India go back to the early days of the non-aligned movement.
Indonesia is also seen as a buffer to China’s rapid inroads in the region.
Indonesia is also the growing focus of the US, with President Barack Obama scheduled to visit Jakarta after his trip to India in November.
Besides the sentimental aspect of the trip for Obama, who spent his schooldays in Indonesia, the US is seeking out Indonesia to counterbalance China’s growing influence, especially in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.
