Jakarta. Indonesia and Canada signed a defense pact during President Prabowo Subianto’s trip to Ottawa, as both nations agreed to work together on safeguarding peace.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney hosted the Indonesian leader in Ottawa on Wednesday local time. The meeting turned out to be fruitful as Prabowo would bring home a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperative activities in defense, on top of a much-awaited bilateral free trade agreement. A joint statement revealed that the signed MoU would add ammo to their existing defense dialogue and joint military training. The two G20 nations also agreed to support the development of their defense industries.

“We will deepen our collaboration in maritime security, cyberdefense, peacekeeping, and military education. This is critical for Canada as part of our Indo-Pacific strategy,” Carney told a joint press conference.

“It sends a strong signal to the world that Canada and Indonesia are committed to working together for peace and stability in the region and beyond,” he said.

Prabowo, a retired army general, welcomed the pact, also citing that countless Indonesian military men had served under Canadian commanders in international peacekeeping missions. 

“We continue to be committed to international peacekeeping. … We value our relationship with Canada. We would like to send more of our young people ... to be trained here and work together in the field of defense,” he added.

Prabowo also joked that becoming part of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police was one of his childhood dreams. “As a young kid, I always wanted to be a Mountie. No, I’m serious. Maybe I’ll come back [here] in a private capacity,” he told Carney, making the latter laugh.

The newly signed pact builds on an earlier MoU that sought to increase collaboration in military exercises and maritime security.