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India-Indonesia to strengthen cooperation on regional security |
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India and Indonesia have decided to forge greater cooperation in dealing with regional security issues. This and other bilateral matters came up for review during Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri’s visit to New Delhi last week.
During her stay in the national capital, Megawati met her Indian counterpart, K.R. Narayanan, Vice President Krishan Kant and leader of the Opposition Sonia Gandhi besides holding delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on April 3.
Briefing the media on the outcome of her visit to New Delhi, official sources said on the security front, New Delhi expressed its keen desire to increase intelligence sharing and cooperation between the navies of the two countries to counter terrorism. The Indian Navy has repeatedly expressed concern about separatist insurgents from Indonesia’s Aceh province using uninhabited islands in the isolated Andaman and Nicobar chain.
“For us, Indonesia is an extremely important country, both in terms of trade ties and cooperation within the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN),” said an official. New Delhi believes Megawati’s visit will boost both security and economic cooperation in diverse areas, ranging from space to infrastructure development.
Work on implementing a substantial framework of agreements on bilateral cooperation with Indonesia, had been adversely affected by recent political turmoil in that country which led to the ouster of former President Abdurrahman Wahid.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which already has an agreement with Indonesia’s state-run LAPAN space agency, signed a new memorandum of understanding that incorporated measures for greater collaboration in remote sensing. ISRO, which launches all of India’s satellites, currently maintains a satellite tracking station at Diak on the Indonesian island of Iriana Jaya.
“Indonesia also supports New Delhi’s draft convention against terrorism currently being discussed at the U.N.,” the Indian official said. “We also have common defence concerns such as the Aceh insurgency.”
A comprehensive agreement on defence between the two sides currently incorporates cooperation between their defence industries, exchanges of personnel and military exercises. “Due to their economic problems, Indonesia is looking to diversify its defence procurements and India could play a role in supplying cheaper military hardware,” the official said.
Indonesia has also sought the Indian Navy’s help to upgrade its hydrographic school. The two navies recently conducted a joint survey near Sumatra.
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