Minister Sjafrie: Indonesia-France Relations Maintain Very Positive Momentum

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia’s Defense Minister, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, received a courtesy call from French Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans, H.E. Catherine Vautrin, at the Indonesia’s Ministry of Defense in Jakarta, Wednesday, September 23, 2026. Catherine Vautrin and her delegation were welcomed with a military honour guard ceremony.

Following the honour guard ceremony, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and Catherine Vautrin delivered a joint statement attended by journalists. Sjafrie noted that the robust defense cooperation between Indonesia and France is underpinned by the strong relationship between Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and French President Emmanuel Macron.

"We hope this serves as a pivotal moment for strengthening not only defense cooperation but also the broader relationship between the nations of Indonesia and France," Defense Minister Sjafrie conveyed.

The Minister also expressed his appreciation to Catherine Vautrin regarding the procurement of Rafale fighter jets and Scorpène-class submarines. Indonesia has purchased 42 Rafale units, manufactured by Dassault Aviation and two Scorpène submarines built by Naval Group. The two Scorpène submarines will be jointly produced at the PT PAL Indonesia shipyard in Surabaya.

"Today, we acknowledge the strengthening of cooperation in defense equipment, marked by the arrival of the first Rafale in Indonesia and the commencement of construction on the first Scorpène submarine by PT PAL," Sjafrie stated.

Furthermore, Sjafrie mentioned that Indonesia and France would continue to conduct officer exchanges for education and training purposes, fostering both institutional and person-to-person ties.

"Moving forward, we will continue to collaborate to demonstrate that defense relations between Indonesia and France are flourishing and maintaining very positive momentum—not only in defense equipment procurement but also in enhancing personnel professionalism and strengthening ties between our armed forces," Minister Sjafrie said.

Catherine Vautrin’s visit aims at reviewing the French Armed Forces' PEGASE 2026 mission. She is scheduled to visit Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base, where the French Air Force plans to conduct joint exercises with the Indonesian Air Force as part of the PEGASE 2026 mission.