R20 summit: An opportunity to re-enliven historical ties between India, Indonesia

By Ayushi Agarwal
Bali [Indonesia], November 1 : Bali, the capital city of Indonesia, is all set to host the R20 summit from November 2-3. As the island country will bring together the world's most economically powerful nations, the summit also brings an opportunity for both India and Indonesia to re-enliven their historical and civilizational ties.
"Indonesia has historically had a close civilizational and cultural relationship with India. In Java, 40 percent of the vocabulary, High Javanese is Sanskrit... This hosting of the first R20 Summit in Indonesia and passing the baton to India really offers a tremendous opportunity to re-enliven the historical ties between countries and that the Indonesian Muslims here very much welcome this," said C. Holland Taylor, CEO of the Center for Civilizational Values.
Adding that the two countries are some of the most significant countries in the world, Holland anticipated that the R20 summit which will be hosted by India the next year, will be successful.
"We realize, that the second largest population of Muslims in the world is in India. We also realize that the largest population of Hindus in the world is in India. So, we have two countries that are some of the most significant countries in the world and have the largest Muslim and the largest Hindu populations will be hosting R20. We anticipate that the meeting next year, will be every bit as successful as that which we are planning to go this year in Bali," he added.
India and Indonesia share two millennia of close cultural and commercial contact. The Hindu, Buddhist and later Muslim faith travelled to Indonesia from the shores of India. The stories from the great epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata form sources of Indonesian folk art and dramas.
The shared culture, colonial history and post-independence goals of political sovereignty, economic self-sufficiency and independent foreign policy have a unifying effect on bilateral relations.
The G20 summit (Group of 20 leading economies, this year headed by Indonesia) includes an official main event called as R20 (Religion Forum) will be held from 2-3 November this year for the 'first time ever' in Bali, Indonesia.
The R20 has been recognized as an official G20 engagement group, and the R20 Summit in Bali is the main event in this year's G20 program. Joko Widodo, President of Indonesia, is scheduled to address the opening session of this year's R20 Summit on 2nd November 2022.
India will assume the Presidency of the Group of Twenty (or G20) for one year from 1 December 2022 to 30 November 2023.