Jakarta – New Zealand has restored defence cooperation by inviting Indonesian officers to join a military training in the New Zealand Defense Force's Staff and Command Academy, a press release said.

In its press release made available to ANTARA here Wednesday, the Indonesian Embassy in Wellington said Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters had announced that Indonesia had agreed to fulfil the invitation.

He also said Indonesia would be part of a tour program for the officers to South East Asia.

Peters made the written remarks in a seminar themed "Asia-Pacific: Future Strategic Perspectives" held in University of Victoria, Wellington, Wednesday.

The change of the government's policy is a recognition of various positive developments in Indonesia in democratization in particular, respect to human rights and reform of the Indonesian Defense Forces.

Indonesian Ambassador Amris Hassan welcomed the initiative and said it is a new chapter in the relations between two countries under a wider defense cooperation in particular.

The defence cooperation between New Zealand and Indonesia was severed for seven years after a referendum was held in East Timor, former Indonesian 27th province.

The freezing of the cooperation was a reaction of New Zealand over humand rights violations involving a number of TNI members.