cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/31682934
Top diplomats from France and Indonesia have agreed to a new maritime security project which aims to “to ensure peace and safety” at sea in the Indo-Pacific region.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot’s visit to Jakarta, his second stop on his four-day Asia tour, comes amid ongoing trade tensions between the European Union and Beijing.
He told reporters on Wednesday that the Indo-Pacific Port Security Project “is close to my heart,” promising France’s support.
Neither he nor his Indonesian counterpart, Sugiono, gave any further details on what exactly the project will entail.
Earlier this month, during a discussion about the project at the Ottawa Conference on Security and Defence, Indonesia’s naval chief of staff, Admiral Muhammad Ali, said it would address various maritime security challenges, including piracy, terrorism and other illegal activities, and would likely involve collaboration between several countries in the Indo-Pacific.
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Military cooperation between France and Indonesia has grown in recent years.
French air force planes made a stopover in Jakarta in July as part of a visit to Southeast Asia that was meant to display France’s commitment to regional security.