... The need to modernize the armament system is urgent as the country in the past few years has enjoyed increasing economic growth...Paris (ANTARA News) - Deputy Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said it is time for Indonesia to modernize its military armament system due to the growth of arms technology to safeguard its territory.
The need to modernize the armament system is urgent as the country in the past few years has enjoyed increasing economic growth, which is the focus of the government's program to promote the public's living standards, he said in an exclusive interview with an Antara correspondent in London on Wednesday night.
Sjamsoeddin, along with Army Chief of Staff General Pramono Edhi Wibowo, was in Paris to sign a defence cooperation agreement with his French counterpart IGA Daniel Argenson.
The deputy defence minister further said the signing of the agreement is a follow up to the joint declaration on strategic partnership agreed upon at a meeting between Indonesian President Susilo Yudhoyono and French Prime Minister Francois Fillon in July 2011.
He said his ongoing visit to France is aimed at enhancing defence cooperation between the two nations and ensuring the implementation of the contract signed by the two heads of state in the partnership cooperation agreement.
In addition, the two countries also have agreed to step up the defense cooperation as well as to engage in global peacekeeping efforts.
France has expressed a keen interest to enhance cooperation with Indonesia in fighting terrorism and protecting maritime lanes against piracy, he said.
Sjamsoeddin said the defence ministry received budget allocations of Rp74 trillion, half of which was spent on employees' salaries.
Therefore, he added, to modernize the armament system the government had allocated Rp150 trillion in funds to advance the defense sector as well as to catch up with other countries in terms of its defense systems.
He also said the House of Representatives (DPR) need not worry about the use of the budget funds for the armament system because the budget had been used as transparently as possible.
(ZG/S012)
Editor: Ade P Marboen
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
