Indonesia, France agree to boost defense cooperation

JAKARTA, Indonesia

The Indonesian defense minister met his French counterpart in Paris on Wednesday and discussed defense cooperation and the current situation in the Indo-Pacific region, according to an official statement by Indonesia's National Defense Ministry on Friday.

“Prabowo Subianto and Florence Parly emphasized the importance of maintaining the stability and security in the Indo-Pacific region,” said the ministry.

"Indonesia wants to continue to enhance the cooperation with France in the defense sector," Subianto said.

“It includes upgrading defense equipment of Indonesian military and boosting the capacity of national defense industry as a part of the global production chain," he added.

During their previous meeting in January, both Subianto and Parly agreed on a Defense Cooperation Agreement. The agreement will cover cooperation in training and education, defense industry development, science and defense technology, intelligence cooperation and counterterrorism, as well as collaborations in peacekeeping operations and humanitarian missions during disasters.

The two ministers asked their negotiating teams to immediately finalize the agreement so it can be signed by the end of this year as the country is celebrating 70 years of diplomatic relations.

In 2017, the two countries signed a letter of intent to expand defense cooperation, including maritime security and cooperation.

Since 2013, Indonesia and France have been hosting an annual Indonesia-France Defense Dialogue, where the two countries discuss training and education, as well as counterterrorism cooperation.

* Writing by Maria Elisa Hospita from Anadolu Agency's Indonesian service in Jakarta.