RI's Defense Minister Visits Airbus Company

London, Feb 11 (Antara) - Indonesian Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro, along with Spanish State Secretary for Defense Pedro Arguelles Salaverria, visited Airbus Military Company in Sevilla, Spain, to inaugurate the sixth production of C-295 aircraft. The aircraft will go into operation in Indonesia in March 2014, according to the Social, Cultural and Information Counselor of the Indonesian Embassy in Madrid, Theodorus Satrio Nugroho, on Tuesday. Yusgiantoro was accompanied by PT Dirgantara Indonesia Director Budi Santoso and Indonesian Ambassador to Spain Yuli Mumpuni Widarso on the visit, which was conducted on Feb. 5-6. The aim of the visit from high-ranking officers is to observe the production of nine C-295 aircraft made by Airbus Military, Nugroho told Antara, here. In his statement, the minister praised the successful mutual cooperation between the two companies, Airbus and PT Dirgantara Indonesia. Yusgiantoro said the Ministry had challenged both parties to match the potential of the flight market in the Asia Pacific region. "The Asia Pacific is a region that has seen amazing economic development and is a potential market for C-295 aircraft," Nugroho quoted the minister as saying. Meanwhile, the President Director of Airbus Military Company Domingo Urena-Raso expressed his pride and satisfaction in cooperating with PT Dirgantara Indonesia, which has been a long-term close partner with the CASA aircraft industry in Spain. The agreement between the two companies is to assemble the eighth and ninth C-295 aircraft and conduct joint marketing efforts for the aircraft, which will be assembled in Bandung and marketed in the Asia Pacific region. Domingo believes that the advanced technology of the Airbus Military can meet the Indonesian government`s requirements in modernizing its military technology. Yusgiantoro`s visit to Spain was also aimed at signing a Memorandum of Understanding at a meeting with Spain`s Defense Minister Pedro Morenes Eulate. Upon arrival, the Indonesian defense minister was greeted by a military ceremony attended by his Spanish counterpart.