Indonesia Establishes Military and Defence Cooperation with Qatar
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government is seeking to strengthen its defence sector by establishing cooperation in the fields of military and defence industry with Qatar. This cooperation was marked by the signing of a statement of intent regarding defence cooperation by the Minister of Defence, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, and the Qatari Minister of Defence, who also serves as Deputy Prime Minister, Sheikh Saoud bin Abdurrahman bin Hassan bin Ali Al Thani, at the Ministry of Defence Office in Jakarta on Tuesday.
“This signing is a follow-up to the letter of intent that was previously signed in 2021,” said the Head of the Defence Information Bureau of the Ministry of Defence, Brigadier General TNI Rico Ricardo Sirait, during a press conference at the Ministry’s office.
Mr Rico continued that both parties also signed a memorandum of understanding regarding cooperation in the development of the defence industry. According to Mr Rico, this partnership is highly beneficial for Indonesia, as the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) will have the opportunity to conduct various strategic activities with the Qatari military, such as joint combat exercises, soldier exchanges, and cooperation in military education.
These various strategic activities are expected to impact the improvement of soldier quality from both technical and material perspectives within the military field. Furthermore, the cooperation is intended to further strengthen the bilateral relationship between Indonesia and Qatar.
“This signing serves as a concrete step to strengthen the defence relationship between our two nations so that it becomes more structured, mutually beneficial, and can be implemented through more tangible cooperation programmes,” said Rico.
Regarding cooperation in the defence industry, Rico emphasised that the specific model of cooperation has yet to be determined. Consequently, he could not yet confirm whether this partnership would lead to the development of specific defence equipment or the purchase of military hardware from Qatar to Indonesia and vice versa.
“Therefore, (the defence industry cooperation) remains general in nature, but cooperation in the defence industry will be established,” he said.
Mr Rico expressed hope that through this cooperation, Indonesia’s defence sector will become increasingly robust while simultaneously fostering more harmonious relations with countries in the region.