India and Indonesia decided to expand cooperation to the next level particularly in the defence and space fields. The Joint Statement on the visit of Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to Jakarta after a meeting with President of Indonesia, Dr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono outlined the contours of the same on 11 October. The long time taken to expand engagement with Indonesia India’s maritime neighbor is h e majorvident as this was the first bilateral visit by the Indian Prime Minister in the last 10 years to the country. Ironically Indonesia like India is due for elections in 2014 and President Yudhoyono is due to demit office. Dr Manmohan Singh is also unlikely to continue as his Party the Congress is facing strong anti incumbency
On Defence cooperation, the Joint Statement indicated, “The Leaders reaffirmed that India and Indonesia as strategic partners and maritime neighbours with a common interest in the maintenance of regional peace and security must work to further strengthen and broaden the already robust defence cooperation. They noted with satisfaction that the commencement of the Defence Ministers’ Dialogue and regular convening of the Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC) Meetings and Staff Talks established between the Armies and the Navies of the two countries have resulted in enhancement of defence cooperation between the two countries. The two sides agreed to enhance exchanges between their respective Air Forces, including the establishment of Staff Talks, as necessary. They also agreed to continue sharing of information and intelligence, as well as to increase the frequency of exchanges, training and joint exercises, including among Special Forces. They decided to explore collaboration in sale and co-production of defence equipment, mutually agreed defence-related research activities and training and capacity building cooperation between both sides.
The two sides have agreed to establish linkages between the Center for UN Peacekeeping (CUNPK) of India and the Indonesia Peace and Security Center (IPSC) on United Nations Peacekeeping. They have also stressed the importance of closer collaboration on capacity building and exchange of best practices in the field of maritime security and hold joint exercises. They also agreed to enhance the existing cooperation and capacity building in the fields of hydrography, joint surveys, and maritime domain awareness.
On terrorism cooperation it stated, “Recognizing the common threats to national security from global terrorism and other transnational crimes, the Leaders resolved to significantly enhance bilateral cooperation in combating terrorism, terrorist financing, money laundering, arms smuggling, trafficking in human beings, and cyber crime. They reiterated the shared commitment to enhance liaison between the intelligence and law enforcement agencies of both countries and to provide each other with assistance, where needed, to fight these menaces. They commended the Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism, which has met regularly. They welcomed the signing of the MoU on Combating Illicit Trafficking in Narcotics, Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and its Precursors. They directed relevant Agencies from both sides to launch a dialogue on cyber security issues”.
On Space Cooperation the joint statement said, “The Leaders acknowledged the increasing intensity of collaboration between the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space of Indonesia (LAPAN). They encouraged LAPAN and ISRO to expedite the conclusion of the Inter-Governmental Framework Agreement on Cooperation in the Exploration and Uses of Outer Space for Peaceful Purposes with a broader scope to replace the 2002 MoU on Cooperation in the field of Outer Space Research and Development, as well as the Agreement on Transfer of Title of the Integrated Biak Telemetry, Tracking and Command (TTC) Station, and the Implementing Agreement for the Utilisation of the Biak TTC Facility for ISRO’s Satellite and Launch Vehicles Programmes. Indonesia welcomed India’s offer of further up-gradation of the Biak TTC - to receive data from its OceanSat and ResourceSat satellites that have applications in hydrography, weather forecasting, disaster management, crop forecasting and resource mapping; and training programmes for Indonesian officials at the Center for Space Science Technology Education in Asia and the Pacific (CSSTEAP), under ASEAN-India Space Cooperation project. ISRO and LAPAN would work towards launch of Indonesian micro satellites into space using Indian launch vehicles”.
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