Thaindian News

New Delhi, Jan 25 (IANS) India and Indonesia Tuesday resolved to intensify their counter-terror cooperation by signing a crucial treaty on extradition and announced launch of negotiations for a free trade area accord that can multiply their bilateral business ties manifold.The two sides have set the new bilateral trade target of $25 billion by 2015.

As many as 11 agreements were signed after wide-ranging talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who arrived here Monday on a three-day official visit.

Yudhoyono will be the chief guest at the ceremonial Republic Day Parade in the capital Wednesday. Incidentally, Indonesia’s first president Dr Soekarno was the chief guest at India’s first Republic Day Parade on Jan 26, 1950.

Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, and India, the third most populous, are finding common ground as democratic, pluralist societies with surging economies that have made them magnets for global investment.

The accords were signed in diverse areas, including air services, cooperation in the field of petroleum and gas, education, science and technology.

The extradition treaty and mutual legal assistance treaty were signed by External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and his Indonesian counterpart Marty Natalegawa.

“The two leaders unequivocally condemned terrorism in all forms and manifestations and stressed that there could be no justification whatsoever for any act of terrorism,” a joint statement said after the talks.

The two leaders resolved to commit their countries to improving the sharing of intelligence, developing more effective counter-terrorism policies and enhancing liaison between law enforcement agencies.

They also agreed to provide assistance in the areas of border and immigration control to stem the flow of terrorist related material, money and people and specific measures against transnational crimes, including international terrorism through the already existing mechanism between Indonesia and India.

The next meeting of the joint working group on counter-terrorism will be held later this year.

The two leaders announced the commencement of negotiations on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA).

“Both leaders agreed that the CECA would be a comprehensive agreement, covering economic cooperation, trade in goods and services, and investment and hoped that it would further contribute to building a higher-level and mutually beneficial economic cooperation between the two countries,” said the joint statement.

To boost the two-way business and investment, the two sides decided to hold a Biennial Trade Ministers Forum, including the establishment of a ‘Trade and Investment Forum’ between their trade ministers.