SINGAPORE: India and Indonesia have emphasised their "vision to transform" their relationship into "a strong partnership."

Top officials who met in Yogyakarta on Wednesday under the Joint Consultative Forum, expressed "satisfaction" at the state of bilateral relations.

The two sides also projected the proposed visit of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to India as "a significant event" that could help translate the vision into a reality.

India was represented by Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs Rajiv Sikri, Ambassador to Indonesia H. K. Singh and Joint Secretary Biren Nanda. The Indonesian team was led by Herijanto Soeprapto, Director-General (Asia Pacific and Africa), and Ambassador to India, Donnilo Anwar.

The discussions ranged from the ongoing cooperation in defence and space and the growing bilateral trade and economic ties to the United Nations reforms and the anti-terror campaign, official sources said.

India's participation in the first-ever East Asia Summit, slated for later this year, and the peace process in the Indonesian province of Aceh also figured in the talks. Indonesia is said to be of the view that Iran's right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy "may be considered" as being different from the issue of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

India's stand on Iran issue

India's reading of the IAEA move on Iran seems to have been conveyed, with reference to New Delhi's action within that forum.

On U.N. reforms, Indonesia is believed to have emphasised the need for action in a manner acceptable to most member-countries, while India said that the draft resolution of the Group of Four was still on the table.

The Group consists of India, Japan, Germany and Brazil.

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