Posted 06 December 2006 @ 04:05
JAKARTA, 06 December 2006 - Indonesia will in the medium and long term focus on nuclear cooperation with several other countries for peaceful purposes, including the development of the national defense industry, Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono said. "For the time being we will not establish nuclear cooperation for defense purposes, but only for peaceful purposes in accordance with the agreement that had been signed," Juwono said after opening an Educational Communication Forum here on Tuesday.
The minister said his ministry has been preparing a matrix of strategic military cooperation between Indonesia and some other countries in accordance with their abilities and superiorities, and the national defense needs. Citing an example, Juwono mentioned Indonesia's military cooperation with India which is still limited to communications, and the military cooperation with other countries that will cover other sectors, he said. Juwono said that in the next 10 to 15 years, Indonesia will be focusing on the development of medium technology-based national defense industry.
"We will not yet build a national defense industry which produces high-technology striking weapons, which Indonesia still need to import in the next 10 to 15 years," Antara news agency quoted the minister as saying. The Indonesian government in 2006 signed nuclear cooperation agreements for peaceful purposes with Iran, Australia, Russia and South Korea.
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