By Shakir Husain
NEW DELHI, Sept 6 (NNN-BERNAMA) — India has discussed “tangible steps” with Indonesia for maritime connectivity between its Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the Indonesian province of Aceh.
Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar and his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi held talks on boosting bilateral cooperation, including maritime links, in Jakarta on Thursday, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
The two countries have agreed on a joint group on Andaman-Aceh connectivity and their officials will hold further talks in Indonesia later this year.
“India and Indonesia are close maritime neighbours. We really value Indonesia as a key partner under our Act East and Indo-Pacific policy,” Jaishankar said, describing Andaman-Aceh sea link as “a key strategic priority.”
The distance between the Andaman Nicobar islands and Aceh is 150 kilometres and officials from Indonesia and India have in the past talked about establishing shipping links to serve trade and tourism.
— NNN-BERNAMA
