France has planned to start a cooperation with Indonesia in defense strategy and technology to boost bilateral relations with the Southeast Asia's largest economy.
The Indonesian-French Parliament Friendship Group chairman Jean-Jacques Guillet said here Wednesday that as members of the G20, both countries were influential in their respective regions.
"France will provide supports to Indonesia's defense system, including in armaments, equipment, training and financial supports for the Army, the Navy and the Air Force," Guillet told The Jakarta Post during his three-day working visit.
Guillet and fellow parliament members - Jean-Marie Le Guen and Francoise Olivier-Coupeau - are slated to stay in Indonesia until Friday. The last time France delegates visited Indonesia for parliamentary friends was in 1997.
On Tuesday, the French parliament members visited the House of Representatives to talk to members of the House's Commission I overseeing defense and foreign affairs, Commission IV overseeing agriculture and fisheries and Commission VII overseeing energy, research and technology.
"Indonesian parliament members will talk to us on the requirement of the country's defense system and will pay a visit to France next year *for further discussion*," he said.
Guillet explained that France has been working with China by supplying Airbus to the Chinese Air Force.
"We expect to do the same thing to Indonesia," he said.
Guillet also said that France has been increasing its trade volume with Indonesia, especially by boosting the amount of purchases of engineering products from the country.
Indonesia's exports to France accounted for 1.4 billion euros (US$2.1 billion) in 2008, mostly dominated with fishery products, while France's exports to Indonesia reached 600 million euros the same year.
"Indonesia has exported components for our high-speed trains, called the TGV *Train A Grande Vitesse*," he said.
"Indonesia is one of our top potential providers in engineering components in Southeast Asia.
"Since France is a developed country, it no longer manufactures engineering components. We badly need supplies from Indonesia and China because the prices are cheap, as they massively produce them.
"France has assisted Indonesia in transportation technology. We are planning to expand networks for transportation, especially for the airlines," Guillet said, adding that it would be facilitated as the European Union already lifted flight bans for Indonesian airlines.
The EU imposed flight ban for national airlines to European skies since July 2007 due to safety reason, following numerous accidents across the archipelago.
Tourism Minister Jero Wacik had said earlier that Indonesian airlines were expected to resume flights to 12 European countries by the first semester next year.
Guillet added that France would continuously facilitate Indonesia in the research and development in fishery, forestry and energy sectors. (nia)
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