JAKARTA: French President Emmanuel Macron will meet his Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta on Wednesday (Could 28), and strengthening defence ties with Paris’ greatest arms shopper in Southeast Asia shall be distinguished of their talks.
Indonesia is the second leg of Macron’s regional journey after Vietnam, the place the 2 international locations signed offers price over US$10 billion. He’s scheduled to fly to Singapore on Thursday.
Indonesian Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, who welcomed Macron on his arrival on Tuesday night time, mentioned the international locations would signal a defence letter of intent and develop cooperation in “strategic army {hardware}”, citing fighter jets and submarines.
The international ministry had earlier mentioned the 2 sides would focus on “current strategic partnerships” with out giving particular particulars concerning the areas of debate.
In 2022, the 2 international locations signed a US$8.1 billion defence deal that included an order for 42 Rafale fighter jets made by France’s Dassault Aviation, in addition to a sequence of agreements together with submarine improvement and ammunition.
“Some commitments want follow-up and Indonesia has proven curiosity in another army {hardware}, however there was no progress but,” mentioned Khairul Fahmi, a army skilled at Indonesia-based Institute for Safety and Strategic Research.
No Rafale jets have been delivered to Indonesia but. The chief of the Indonesian Air Drive Mohamad Tonny Harjono mentioned in February that six jets would arrive in Indonesia in early 2026, state information company Antara reported.
