Indonesia seeks defence tech collaboration with India to boost ties

Indonesia has shown keen interest in collaborating with India in the defence technology domain as Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi held wide-ranging talks with top military brass of the Southeast Asian nation on boosting strategic ties.

Ways to forge bilateral collaboration in the area of defence technologies figured prominently in a meeting between Indonesian Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and Admiral Tripathi.

The Navy chief is on a four-day visit to Indonesia from Sunday.

The two sides discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation and various aspects of defence collaboration, including joint exercises, the Indonesian defence ministry said.

It said Admiral Tripathi explained that India is developing indigenous technologies to support the advancement of its Navy and Sjafrie appreciated the rapid progress in the domain.

The minister expressed his "enthusiasm for working together to improve Indonesia's defence technology," it said.

Discussions were held on the expanding India-Indonesia defence relations with a focus on measures to further consolidate maritime cooperation, including operational engagements and joint training initiatives, the ministry said.

In the meeting, Tripathi highlighted potential avenues for defence industrial collaboration between the two sides.

The visit of Admiral Tripathi underscores the strong maritime relations between the two countries conforming to the shared vision in the Indo-Pacific, the Indian Navy said last week.

Indonesia is a key member of the 10-nation ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) grouping.

The overall strategic relations between India and Indonesia have been on an upswing but both sides are of the view that there is huge potential for expansion of the ties.