Indonesia may soon sell weapons and military supplies to Iraq and
Uganda, in what a top defence official said would be a first for an Asean
member nation.
“We are inviting Iraqi defence
officials to attend a ceremony commemorating the 67th anniversary of the TNI
[Indonesian Military] on October 5,” Deputy Defence Minister Sjafrie
Sjamsoeddin said yesterday.
“We are inviting Iraqi officials
so they can also observe our defense industries, which produce both weapons and
other supplies such as bulletproof vests, helmets, boots and uniforms.”
Sjafrie, who recently returned
from a visit to Iraq, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, said
that he met Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, who instructed his deputy
defense minister and military chief to follow up on the Indonesian offer.
During the meeting, Sjafrie
presented Al-Maliki with an SS-2 assault rifle and a model of an Anoa armored
personnel carrier (APC) produced by state arms manufacturer PT Pindad.
Sjafrie said that both Iraq and
Uganda had shown interest in procuring Indonesian-made weapons.
“The discussion to supply weapons
to Iraq is part of our efforts to help rebuild the Iraqi armed forces after the
[US] war,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a ceremony to inaugurate four
Defence Ministry officials.
“Other efforts include capacity
building, territorial development, anti-terrorism and humanitarian assistance
and disaster relief.”
During the visit, Sjafrie was
accompanied by PT Pindad president director, Adik Avianto Sudarsono.
Sjafrie that Iraq has been
focusing on developing its ground forces, although its military also needed
medium and light transport aircraft, such as the CN-235 and NC-212 built by
state-owned aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia.
On Uganda, Sjafrie said that a
team from the Defence Ministry would depart for Entebbe in the third week of
September to make their sales pitch.
“We have been exporting our
weapons and supplies to other countries, such as Asean countries, for a long
time and now we want to expand the market and volume,” Sjafrie said.
Jakarta Post
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