JAKARTA: Indonesia and Australia signed a significant defense agreement on Thursday, strengthening their bilateral ties as Prabowo Subianto prepares to assume the presidency of Indonesia in October.
The Defense Cooperation Agreement was signed by Subianto, currently Indonesia’s defense minister under outgoing President Joko Widodo, and Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles at Indonesia’s National Military Academy in Magelang, Central Java.
The new pact includes provisions that will allow Australian and Indonesian defense forces to operate from each other’s territories. Subianto highlighted the historic nature of the agreement, stating, “We have signed this defense cooperation agreement, which is a historic milestone … to increase our cooperation and help each other address various security threats and promote peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.”
He said that the agreement is not a military alliance but a cooperative defense pact intended to strengthen and maintain the strong relationship and friendship between the two countries. Subianto expressed his commitment to enhancing Indonesia-Australia relations further in the future.
This agreement follows Subianto’s recent visit to Canberra, where he and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese concluded negotiations to elevate their cooperation to a treaty-level agreement. Albanese’s 2022 visit to Indonesia marked a commitment to strengthening ties with Jakarta and other Southeast Asian nations amid rising tensions with China in the Indo-Pacific.
Subianto has indicated that he will uphold Indonesia’s policy of non-alignment upon taking office. Marles praised the closeness of the relationship under Widodo’s presidency and affirmed Australia’s understanding of Indonesia’s non-alignment stance.
Australia and Indonesia are deepening defence cooperation and expanding the scope and complexity of our exercises together as we address shared regional security challenges. pic.twitter.com/KDEgS4T0Eh
— Richard Marles (@RichardMarlesMP) August 29, 2024
He described the new defense agreement as “the deepest, the most significant defense agreement in the history of our bilateral relationship” and a crucial element of international security architecture.
The two nations are also planning their largest-ever bilateral military exercise, scheduled for November.
