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Indonesia eyes weapons export market in Qatar
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Upbeat – President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (second from left) opens the Trade Expo Indonesia (TEI) 2016 at JIExpo Kemayoran, Jakarta, on Oct.12, accompanied by Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution (second right), Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita (left) and Jakarta Deputy Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat (right). (Antara/Yudhi Mahatma)
Q
atar has expressed its interest in looking into the development of military equipment manufactured by three Indonesian state-owned enterprises, namely PT Pindad, PT Dirgantara Indonesia and PT PAL, a top diplomat has said.
Indonesian Ambassador to Qatar, Muhammad Basri Sidehabi said Indonesian military products, especially light tanks and military weapons, were popular in Qatar.
He made the statement on the sidelines of a visit to Jakarta, during which he brought a group of business delegates from Qatar to attend the Trade Expo Indonesia 2016.
“This visit is also aimed at promoting Indonesia’s military equipment industry, which is well-known in the Middle East," Basri said in a statement on Friday.
On Friday, Basri met with Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryucudu in Jakarta. The minister said he would invite Qatari Defense Minister Khalid Bin Mohammed Al Attiyah to the 2016 Indo Defense Expo scheduled to be held from Nov. 2 to Nov. 5 to further promote domestically manufactured military equipment.
Ryamizard stated that the Expo was one of the biggest of its kind in promoting army, navy and aerospace military products. Around 800 companies from 20 countries will participate in the event, which was expected to draw 20,000 visitors, he went on.
Basri said that although Qatar was relatively small geographically, it was one of the biggest military arms markets in the Middle East. While Pakistan and Turkey currently served as arm suppliers for Qatar, the ambassador said Indonesia also could make it a potential market for its products.
Boy Darmawan, the embassy's ad-interim Charge d'Affaires in Doha, said Qatar had imported military equipment worth around US$150 billion in recent years. (ebf)
