He conveyed this during a meeting with Commission I of the House of Representatives (DPR) in Jakarta, which was held to deliberate on approving bills on defense agreements made with Cambodia, India, France, the United Arab Emirates, and Brazil.
Prabowo, who will assume the presidency on October 20, 2024, emphasized that the ratification of the defense cooperation agreements is essential, considering the reliable roles and technologies the partner countries have in the defense sector.
"Speaking of Cambodia, as an ASEAN member, it is in our interest to protect and support our partners within the ASEAN to grow stronger and become more self-reliant," he told lawmakers.
He then drew attention to the value of cooperation with India and France, while pointing out that the two countries have nuclear weapons at their disposal.
He also spoke highly of the importance of the defense partnerships forged between Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates and Brazil.
"I would like to express my gratitude to Commission I of the DPR for your hard work, enabling us to conclude deliberations on these five bills," he said.
The meeting resulted in the parliament and the government agreeing to bring the five defense cooperation bills to a plenary meeting of the DPR for legislation.
In addition to the Defense Minister, the meeting on Wednesday was attended by Law and Human Rights Minister Supratman Andi Agtas, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pahala Mansury, as well as Speaker of DPR's Commission I, Meutya Hafid, and her deputies.
Translator: Melalusa S, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
Copyright © ANTARA 2024
