Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto signed a joint action plan for defense collaboration with his Turkey counterpart Hulusi Akar in Ankara, Turkey, on February 3, 2023. Both ministers expected that the collaboration would increase the potential for training and defense industry as well as continuing their previously established cooperative relationship.
Prabowo was also confident that Indonesia and Turkey could play a role in maintaining world peace and stability.
“We just signed something very historic and important, namely an action plan which is a follow-up to the strategic cooperation relationship between the two countries,” he said in a written statement on February 4, 2023, as reported by Antara news agency.
“I am optimistic that the close cooperation within the strategic partnership framework between Turkey and Indonesia can contribute to world peace and stability,” he added.
Akar stated that both countries had talked about ensuring the seamless execution of their cooperation, leading to the creation of the action plan. He also expressed his hope that the bilateral defense relationship between Indonesia and Turkey would have a positive impact.
“[It’s] not only for the national interests of the two countries but also regional security,” he said.
There has been no further information whether the cooperation will commence as scheduled following the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria. Around 20,000 people have killed in the earthquake and the authority feared that the number could climb.
“We can call it the disaster of the century,” Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a news conference in the Turkish city of Osmaniye, the New York Times reported.
