Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and his Qatari counterpart Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani entertained the idea when they met in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Speaking to the press, Sjafrie admitted that Jakarta sought a ‘mutually beneficial’ partnership with Doha in this field. Al Thani — also Qatar’s deputy prime minister — said the two countries had shared ‘very strategic’ defense relations without giving away any technical details.
Later that day, the Defense Ministry’s logistics department sealed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Qatari government’s military investment arm Barzan Holdings. Rico Ricardo Sirait, a spokesperson at the Indonesian Defense Ministry, revealed that both sides were still testing the waters.
Early this year, Jakarta’s private-owned defense firm Republikorp announced it had clinched a $2.3 billion deal with Barzan for overhauls and enhancements of “critical naval and land-based systems” for the Indonesian military. They are expected to set up a joint venture.
The ministries also inked a ‘statement of intent’ during Al Thani’s Jakarta visit, as a follow-up to a similar document signed in 2021. They are keeping their fingers crossed for a ‘defense cooperation agreement’ or DCA — a legally binding and comprehensive pact whose timeline remains vague.