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SBY wants better military ties between Jakarta and KL
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called for better military relations between Indonesia and Malaysia to ward off looming conflict since the two neighboring countries had a number of outstanding border issues
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P
resident Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called for better military relations between Indonesia and Malaysia to ward off looming conflict since the two neighboring countries had a number of outstanding border issues.
Yudhoyono received a courtesy call from Malaysia’s newly appointed Armed Forces chief Tan Sri Zulkifeli at the Presidential Palace on Tuesday.
It was the first ever foreign visit by Zulkifeli, who was appointed on June 15 to succeed chief Gen. Tan Sri Azizan Arrifin, who is retiring.
“Yudhoyono delivered a message on the importance of bilateral ties based on the pillars of military and economic affairs,” presidential spokesman on domestic affairs, Julian Aldrin Pasha, said after the meeting.
Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro and Indonesian Military chief Adm. Agus Suhartono accompanied Yudhoyono at the meeting.
Yudhoyono’s spokesman on foreign affairs, Teuku Faizasyah, said Zulkifeli’s first foreign visit to Indonesia showed the importance of Jakarta to Malaysia.
He said Yudhoyono and Zulkifeli did not address border issues at the meeting.
“The two countries are currently discussing border issues. The potential [for conflict] is still there, that’s why military leaders from the two countries should build better relations to prevent an escalation of tensions,” Teuku said.
He added that Yudhoyono spoke to Zulkifeli about the long-established joint training of military officers from the two countries.
“[The two countries] conduct joint training of military officers that could reduce conflicts,” he said.
Teuku played down suggestions that Malaysia’s purchase of two submarines threatened bilateral relations, saying instead that it could “stabilize regional security”.
He said Malaysia had informed neighboring countries about the procurement under ASEAN’s defense white paper, which required ASEAN member states to notify other members of its military hardware.
Indonesia and Malaysia have been engaged in several border spats, with each side unilaterally laying claim to areas near their borders as in case of Ambalat, a 15,235-square-kilometer maritime area located off the coast of East Kalimantan.
