Saudi Arabia and Indonesia on January 23 signed the first defense cooperation agreement (DCA) covering training and education, counter-terrorism efforts and the defense industry, a local newspaper has said.
The DCA was signed by Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Prince Salman bin Sultan Abdul Aziz Al Saud and his host Lt. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin at the Defense Ministry, according to The Jakarta Post.
Sjafrie told reporters after the signing that the DCA was the first signed since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1950. It is also the first that Indonesia has signed with a Middle Eastern country.
“This is the first time a Saudi deputy defense minister has visited Indonesia ,” he said.
He said both countries agreed that terrorism affected nations across the globe. The deputy defense ministers also agreed that terrorism should not be linked to any ideology, in particular to Islam.
“No religion in the world teaches violence,” Sjafrie said.
Recent terrorist incidents have painted a bad picture of Islam. Saudi Arabia is one of the countries damaged by terrorism threats, the Indonesian Defense Ministry said in a press release.
Saudi Arabia and Indonesia have suffered from numerous attacks linked to certain Islamist groups.
Both countries agreed to cooperate in capacity building to increase professionalism by opening opportunities for joint exercises.-VNA
