ANKARA / ISTANBUL

Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin on Friday said that defense cooperation between Türkiye and Indonesia will be strengthened with a defense cooperation agreement.

The remarks came during a joint news conference between Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Turkish National Defense Minister Yasar Guler, Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono and Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, following the Türkiye-Indonesia Joint Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense in Ankara.

Sjamsoeddin stated that their cooperation in the field of education also envisages "improving professionalism, capacity-building efforts, and increasing military capabilities."

He added that advanced technology collaborations and fighter jet technologies will be included under the scope of cooperation.

The Indonesian defense minister said that the establishment and enhancement of the peacekeeping force in Gaza would be pursued for peace and stability in the region and the world.

Türkiye a ‘strategic partner’

Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono, for his part, said that Türkiye is “a strategic partner” for Indonesia, stressing that it is one of the few countries with which Jakarta maintains dialogue at this level.

He said that Friday’s meeting was of an “extreme strategic importance.”

He said key bilateral priorities and elements such as economic cooperation, including market access for strategic products and a preferential trade agreement, as well as renewable energy, were discussed.

Relevant institutions of Indonesia and Türkiye will create a joint fund to support cooperation in developing battery ecosystems, making joint investments in the petrochemical sector, energy and mining projects, and other strategic projects, Sugiono added.

He said that his country continues its work in platforms such as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League Contact Group to protect the rights of the Palestinian people.

Reminding that Indonesia will assume the rotating presidency of the D8, Sugiono said: "I would like to express our desire to see (Turkish) President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan and his delegation members at this year's summit in Jakarta, and I am very much looking forward to seeing Minister Fidan there as well."

Indonesian foreign minister expressed support for Türkiye's goal of being a dialogue partner for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as well as a desire to see concrete ASEAN-Türkiye cooperation, especially in the economic field.