29 Mar 2024
Wednesday 22 January 2020 - 16:08
Story Code : 368670

Iran proposes defense cooperation with Indonesia

Iran proposes defense cooperation with Indonesia
Jakarta Globe - The Iranian Ambassador to Indonesia has said that Iran would gladly work with Indonesia in a defense partnershipif the government is interested in the plan.

Ambassador Mohammad Azad paid a visit to the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legaland Security AffairsMahfud M.D.at his office in Jakarta on Tuesday to discuss bilateral relations between Indonesia and Iran, which began70 years ago.

"We discussed many things," Azad said at Mahfud's office in Central Jakarta. "Iran and Indonesia starteddiplomatic relations in 1950. In 2020we will celebrate the 70th anniversary of this relationship," he said.

Azad said Iran wantsto form adefense cooperationwith Indonesia but would waituntil he could meet with Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto to discuss the possibility.

"Iran has extensiveexperience in defense. If Indonesia isinterested, we would love to be able to cooperatein thesector,"Azad said, addingthatIndonesia would benefit from Iran's experience.

According to the annual Military Strength Ranking fromGlobal Firepower, the Iranianmilitary wasranked 14th out of 137 countries in2019.Indonesia was in 16th place.

'Economic Terrorism' Causes Tension WithUS

The standoff between Iran and the United States reached a fever pitch whenDonald Trump ordered a drone strike that killed Iran's most powerfulgeneral Qassem Suleimani in Baghdad on Jan. 3. Iran retaliated by firing missiles at several US facilities in Iraq.

The Iran-US standoff had affected Indonesia in recent years. State energy company Pertamina was forced in 2018 to shelf a deal tooperatean Iranian oil field to avoid USeconomicsanctions.

Azad ensured Mahfud thatwar is the last option for Iranand that the country would rathertake a more measured approach.

"Of course,Iran doesn't desire war and won't start one,"Azad said.

"Instead, we have started the Tehran Dialogue Forum to encouragecountries in ourregion to work together to maintainsecurity and peace," he said.

The Tehran Dialogue Forum 2020 was held on Jan. 7,attended by high-profile figures in the regionincludingIranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi and former Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai.

The forum focused on discussions on territorial security and political affairs.

Although dismissing the idea of starting an open war, Iran hasretaliated for Suleimani's killingby launching more than a dozen missiles to US military bases in Iraqand three rockets that fell close to the US Embassy in Baghdad.

"Iran has been suppressed economically by what we call 'economic terrorism' [by the US].Iran has also been attacked with the killing ofGeneral [Qassem] Suleimani, but we shall prevail. Iran has sent a firm response to them [the US], and they seem to have got themessage,"Azad said.
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