Indonesia and India on Thursday signed a defense agreement aimed at boosting various areas of cooperation including the exchange of military instructors and arms sales, Indonesia's Jakarta Post daily reported Friday, quoted by Iran’s news agency (IRNA).
The agreement was signed by Indonesian defense minister Muhammad Mahfud and the Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Ajit Kumar Panja and was witnessed by President Abdurrahman Wahid and the Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta.
Mahfud later told reporters that that the agreement is not a defense pact. ”It is a cooperation in defense activities, so it isn't a defense pact," he was quoted as saying.
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