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Indonesia to boost ties with East Timor, Pakistan
Ryamizard Ryacudu, - JP/Jerry Adiguna Indonesia will soon have a legal foundation for its defense agreements with both East Timor and Pakistan, as the House of Representatives is expected to ratify the agreements struck between Indonesia and the two countries
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Ryamizard Ryacudu, - JP/Jerry Adiguna
Indonesia will soon have a legal foundation for its defense agreements with both East Timor and Pakistan, as the House of Representatives is expected to ratify the agreements struck between Indonesia and the two countries.
The ratification will allow Indonesia to improve joint military training, exchange intelligence information and trade weapons with both East Timor and Pakistan.
The Indonesian government began improving ties with Pakistan in 2010, when officials from both countries signed the defense agreement in Islamabad.
The cooperation with East Timor, meanwhile, was signed in 2011.
With the defense cooperation with Pakistan, Indonesia expects to enhance its ability to intercept terrorists returning from Afghanistan.
With respect to East Timor, Indonesia hopes to collaborate on border control.
'The ratification of both agreements will undoubtedly further improve our bilateral ties with East Timor and Pakistan,' Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu told lawmakers from the House Commission I overseeing defense, foreign affairs and information on Thursday.
Ryamizard added that both ratifications would include pledges not to use international courts to settle problems, encouraging the countries to find diplomate solutions to any future disputes.
Once endorsed, the agreement will require the establishment of joint committees responsible for comprehensively identifying strategic issues for both parties.
None of the 10 political factions on Commission I criticized the government's proposal, but the majority said they wanted to ensure that the government was able to optimize benefits.
Many lawmakers said that while Indonesia could benefit from a cooperation with Pakistan, a country well-known for its defense industry, with respect to East Timor, Ithey were less sure.
'East Timor will benefit from a joint military training with us, but I don't see any advantage that we will receive from it because we are more developed,' Andi Muhammad Ghalib of the United Development Party (PPP) said.
House Commission I has also told the government to endorse a Law No. 16/ 2012 on the defense industry that requires the transfer of technology into Indonesia from any country hoping to build defense ties with Indonesia.
'By upholding such a law, we will have the opportunity to improve our own technology in order to eventually develop our own weapons,' Commission I chairman Mahfudz Siddiq said.
