TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian National Forces (TNI) commander Gen. Moeldoko on Monday said he wished to make TNI the big brother or coordinator of armed forces in ASEAN.
“It is included as one of the regional issues and military cooperation in Southeast Asia,” Moeldoko told reporters.
The statement came during ASEAN Chief of Defence Force Informal Meeting on March in Myanmar. “Everyone has acknowledged the greatness of TNI,” he said.
The next step is for Moeldoko to visit several countries to establish communication. He first visited the Philippines and Vietnam. In the meeting, Moeldoko asked the armed forces in ASEAN to be cohesive for stability in the region.
“After that, I visited China. I affirmed to their armed forces that we would not accept if China’s power building causes instability in ASEAN.”
Moeldoko also said similar thing during his meeting with US armed forces. He asked US military not to take provoking measures in Asia-Pacific region. “We have to show TNI as the vanguard of Southeast Asia to military commanders in ASEAN,” said Moeldoko.
INDRA WIJAYA