France's Macron, Indonesia's Prabowo to discuss defence ties

28/5/2025 12:11

French President Emmanuel Macron will meet his Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta on Wednesday, and strengthening defence ties with Paris' biggest arms client in Southeast Asia will be prominent in their talks.



Indonesia is the second leg of Macron's regional trip after Vietnam, where the two countries signed deals worth over $10 billion. He is scheduled to fly to Singapore on Thursday.



Indonesian Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, who welcomed Macron on his arrival on Tuesday night, said the countries would sign a defence letter of intent and develop cooperation in "strategic military hardware", citing fighter jets and submarines.



The foreign ministry had earlier said the two sides would discuss "existing strategic partnerships" without giving specific details about the areas of discussion.



In 2022, the two countries signed an $8.1 billion defence deal that included an order for 42 Rafale fighter jets made by France's Dassault Aviation, as well as a series of agreements including submarine development and ammunition.