India and Indonesia on Friday agreed to enhance collaboration in areas of defence industry, maritime security and multilateral cooperation at the seventh India-Indonesia Joint Defence Cooperation Committee meeting held in New Delhi. It was chaired by Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane and Secretary-General of Indonesia’s Ministry of Defence Air Marshal Donny Ermawan Taufanto.
During the meeting, both sides expressed satisfaction at the expanding scope of defence cooperation between the two countries. The progress made on various bilateral initiatives deliberated in meetings of working groups on defence cooperation and defence industries cooperation was also reviewed by the co-chairs, a Defence Ministry statement said.
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During the visit, Air Marshal Taufanto visited the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) headquarters in New Delhi as well as the TATA Advanced Systems and Larsen & Toubro defence facilities in Pune. “He also held deliberations with other Indian defence industry partners like Bharat Forge, Mahindra Defence and Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited and discussed ways to enhance defence industrial capabilities by cooperation in research and joint production,” the statement said.
Air Marshal Taufanto also called on the Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan during the visit. On his arrival in the national capital, he laid a wreath and paid homage to the fallen heroes at the national war memorial. He is on a visit to India from May 2-4.
India and Indonesia have a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and have arrived at a shared vision of the Indo-Pacific, the statement noted. “In current times, this partnership is characterised by close cooperation in bilateral and multilateral arena, including frequent high-level interactions,” it said adding Indonesia is an important partner in India’s Act East Policy and the Indo-Pacific region.
Earlier this week, the first-ever “India-Indonesia Defence Industry Exhibition-cum-Seminar” was organised in Jakarta by the two countries as they marked the 75th year of establishment of diplomatic ties. Speaking at the event, Indian envoy in Indonesia Sandeep Chakravorty noted that Indonesia is also keen to build its own defence industry and offered to share India’s experiences in this regard and also to partner for long-term collaborations in defence sector.
During the press conference, Mr. Chakravorty also announced that the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM), and Pinhantanas, Indonesia’s national private defence industry association will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to promote and strengthen the defence industry partnership between the two countries. The MoU is scheduled to be signed during Bali air show in September.
