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Project strength to protect prosperity, Prabowo says
President Prabowo Subianto has stressed the need for increased investment in national defense to safeguard the country’s sovereignty and independence.
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President Prabowo Subianto walks to the stage on Wednesday before delivering his speech at the opening ceremony of Indo Defense 2024 Expo & Forum, which was held at the Jakarta International Expo (JIExpo) in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta. (TJP/Ni Made Tasyarani)
P
resident Prabowo Subianto has stressed the need for military strength to safeguard national prosperity as the government plans to hike defense spending.
During his keynote speech to open the Indo Defense 2024 Expo & Forum on Wednesday, Prabowo said investing in defense was crucial for ensuring Indonesia’s sovereignty.
“War is destructive, but human history teaches us that a nation that does not invest in its own defense is usually deprived of its sovereignty,” he said.
The President said the government would concentrate on “lifting our people out of poverty, eradicating hunger and bringing education to all children,” but stressed that to protect such achievements, the country “must have strong defenses”.
Read also: President to open 10th Indo Defence at JIExpo
In his speech, Prabowo reiterated Indonesia's foreign policy stance of nonalignment: “We will not encroach on the national interests of other powers, but we respectfully request that all our friends and neighbors also respect our sovereignty, our territorial integrity”.
Earlier this year, the Defense Ministry announced it was pushing for a gradual increase in the country’s defense budget from 0.8 percent of gross domestic product to 1.5 percent.
