Prabowo-Parly Discuss Indonesian Defense Industry

Paris, MINA – Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto and French Defense Minister Florence Parly discussed defense cooperation, including the Indonesian defense industry.

“Various advances have been made in strengthening defense cooperation between the two countries this year, including efforts to advance the Indonesian defense industry which were welcomed by the two Defense Ministers.” Thus was quoted from the press release of the Indonesian Embassy in Paris on Saturday.

“Indonesia wants to continue to develop cooperation with France in various defense sectors including strengthening Army defense equipment and advancing the capacity of Indonesia’s defense industry as part of the global defense equipment production chain,” said Defense Minister Prabowo at a meeting at the French Defense Ministry Office in Parisn on Wednesday.

At a meeting last January, the two Defense Ministers also agreed to make a Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA).

The agreement will cover comprehensive defense cooperation such as cooperation in the fields of military education and training, maritime security, eradicating terrorism, developing the defense industry to strengthening capacity in disaster management such as the COVID-19 pandemic currently hitting the two countries.

Therefore, the two Defense Ministers requested that the negotiating team immediately complete the DCA as part of the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

In addition, the two Defense Ministers also discussed developments in the situation and dynamics of the Indo-Pacific region.

France pays special attention to the Indo-Pacific region, considering that apart from owning territories, around 1.6 million people are in the Indo-Pacific Region.

In this context, the two Ministers emphasized the importance of continuing to contribute in maintaining regional stability and security.

The Indonesian-French cooperation in the defense sector has been based on an agreement between the two countries in 2017 through a Letter of Intent (LoI) or a Statement of Intent to increase defense cooperation, including maritime cooperation and maritime security.

Every year since 2013, bilateral defense cooperation in several fields such as training and education, mutual visits, and the eradication of terrorism have been discussed through the Indonesia-France Defense Dialogue (IFDD) forum. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)