Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said India is a ray of hope for the world in the 21st century. "Today's India doesn't think small. Today India is doing work at unprecedented scale and speed," said PM Modi while addressing the Indian community in Bali on the sidelines of the G20 Summit.
"But in its 75-year-old long development journey, there is a lot that India can give to Indonesia. India's talent, technology, innovation, industry have made an identity for themselves before the world. Several big companies of the world have an Indian-origin CEO," PM Modi added.
The Prime Minister, who was welcomed to the stage with chants of "Modi, Modi", said India stood firmly with Indonesia in challenging times as he recalled the 2018 earthquake.
"Relations between India and Indonesia stand strong during both good and difficult times. In 2018, when Indonesia was affected by an earthquake, we immediately started operation Samudra Maitri," ANI quoted PM Modi as saying.
"That year when I came to Jakarta, I had said that India and Indonesia may be 90 nautical miles apart, but in reality, we are not 90 nautical miles apart but 90 nautical miles close," he further said.
PM Modi also told the Indian diaspora that both the nations were connected by shared heritage and culture.
"At a time when the grand Ram Temple is taking shape in India, we also proudly remember the Ramayana tradition of Indonesia," PM Modi said.
PM Modi mentioned about Odisha’s Bali Jatra, an annual trade and commerce fair on the banks of the Mahanadi river in Cuttack to commemorate the rich maritime history of the state.
"When people of Indonesia see photos of this yr's Bali Jatra on internet, they'll be proud & happy. Due to the issues arising due to COVID, some hurdles had cropped up. After several yrs, Bali Jatra Mahotsav is being celebrated on a grand scale with mass participation in Odisha," said PM Modi.