Al Ahrar, p.5, (13/2/2007)

MENA, New Delhi

Indonesia enhances its strategic partnership with India

Talks that have recently been conducted by the Indonesian vice-president Jusuf Kalla with senior Indian officials in New Delhi and the ratification of the Indonesian parliament of the agreement of military cooperation with India last November reflect the keenness of both countries to enhance their strategic partnership in the political, military, security, commercial and economic fields.

Some Indonesian political analysts believe that boosting partnership with India, the second largest country in the world in terms of the number of population, and Indonesia, the fourth largest country in the world in terms of population, will positively reflect on the interests of both countries and will boost the regional weight of Asia on the global level.

Analysts added that building strategic partnership between India and Indonesia would represent a chance for achieving several targets, including boosting Indonesia's regional role in south East Asia and increasing its exports to the vast Indian market. This would also give a chance for making use of the Indian technological progress in the field of software, space and military production and boosting the GDP through increasing the Indian investments in the Indonesian markets.

They added that augmenting the defense cooperation ties with India would contribute to boosting the military capabilities of the Indonesian army that deteriorated due to the military embargo imposed by the US on Indonesia in 1999 due to the involvement of the armed militia, supported by the Indonesian army, in human rights violations in East Timore.

On the other hand, India sees Indonesia as a promising market for its exports plus it is a source for its energy requirements especially oil and natural gas. Indonesia also represents a gate for the Indian exports heading for the markets of members of the ASEAN grouping that comprises ten countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia.

On his part, the Indonesian Foreign Minister Noer Hasan Wirajuda stated that the strategic partnership with India cover all political, economic and military aspects, adding that Indonesia and India are playing a major role in maintaining stability of Asia.

Wirajuda added that Indonesia and India are keen on continuing their political consultations and coordination regarding several key issues including the regional security in Asia and the reform of the UN Security Council.

He explained that India and Indonesia hold identical view points regarding boosting the plans of reforming the UN and settling disputes in Asia with peaceful means in spite of the non-support of Indonesia for the G4 comprising India, Germany, Japan and Brazil in their quest for expanding the United Nations Security Council.

Wirajuda said that Indonesia and India could play a key role in boosting regional security and curbing the nuclear arms race in Asia, adding that the strong ties between the two countries with the west could contribute to supporting the Asian issues and settling several regional disputes.

He also said that the mounting status of India on the political, economic and military level on the international arena will contribute to boosting stability in Asia, adding that Indonesia and India played a major role in supporting national liberation movements in third world countries within the framework of the Non-Aligned movement.

Wirajuda said that political and military cooperation between India and Indonesia will contribute to strike a balance between Asian powers in view of the growing influence of China indicating that Indonesia could benefit from the Indian technology and that India expressed its desire to boost its cooperation with Indonesia in all fields.

In the defense field, the ratification of the Indonesian parliament of a defense cooperation agreement between Jakarta and New Delhi paves the way for launching defense partnership between the two countries.

The Indonesian Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono said that defense cooperation between Indonesia and India covers various fields of education, military training, and exchange of intelligence.

Sudarsono added that the defense cooperation agreement will provide a legal umbrella for cooperation between the two countries in the field of purchasing weapons and military equipment indicating that Indonesia and India are discussing means of boosting strategic partnership in the defense field through boosting bilateral cooperation between companies working in the field of military production.

He said that the defense technology Indonesia requested from India is non-lethal and that it includes military means of transportations and logistics.

On his part, the member of the Commission of Foreign and Defense Affairs in the Indonesian Parliament Joko Susilo said that defense cooperation between Indonesia and India will boost the Indonesian military capabilities in view of the fact that India possesses developed military technology.

He added that the recent ratification of the Indonesian Parliament of the defense cooperation agreement between India and Indonesia would pave the way for boosting bilateral military ties and participation of both countries in manufacturing military equipment and spare parts referring to the fact that boosting defense cooperation will enable Indonesia to acquire the advance Indian military technology. He added that enhancing the Indonesian-Indian ties would boost the capabilities of the ASEAN in curbing the mounting influence of China in Asia.

He said that India and Indonesia are seeking to boost military and security cooperation for combating piracy in the territorial waters of the two countries stating that the two countries organize marine patrols in coordination with each other to combat piracy along their joint marine border.

Susilo indicated that boosting nuclear cooperation with India, which is considered a member of the nuclear club, would enable Indonesia to benefit from using nuclear energy for peaceful purposes to get its energy requirements.

Indonesia intends to establish the first nuclear power plant by 2016 at a total cost of $ 8 billion. In the field of trade, Indonesia and India agreed on increasing the volume of trade exchange to amount to $ 10 billion by 2010.

The Indonesian Minister of Trade Mari E. Pangestu said that Indonesia and India agreed on forming a working group for studying means of boosting economic and commercial ties to be up to the huge potentials of the two countries.

The Indonesian Minister added that the Indonesian export to India is only 1% of the total exports of the country, which amount to $ 200 million. 

She explained that the low rate of trade exchange between India and Indonesia is mainly due to dependence of the two countries on the exchange of traditional commodities like palm oil, oil products, and textiles, which negatively reflected on the possibilities of benefiting from their available commercial potentials. She stressed the keenness of the Indonesian government on attracting more Indian investments.

In the field of combating terrorism, Indonesia and India confirmed their keenness on boosting cooperation in the field of combating terrorism on marine borders, during the visit of the Indonesian vice-president Jusuf Kalla to New Delhi from 28 January to 2 February.

The Chairman of the Commission of the Foreign, Defense and Security Affairs in the Indonesian parliament said that Indonesia seeks to boost its security cooperation with India to trace terrorist groups, freeze the foreign funding sources of those groups and exchange intelligence regarding their terrorist activities and plans.

He stated that India expressed its readiness to offer all necessary assistance to Indonesia to combat terrorism especially after the recent explosions of Bali that claimed 23 lives and injured 170 others on 1 October 2005. He added that Indonesia has also expressed its solidarity with India following the explosions that took place in a number of trains in Mumbai last July that claimed 190 lives and injured 600 others.

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