Australia and Indonesia have signed a pact-level defence cooperation agreement that will allow the two countries' militaries to operate from each other's countries, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday (20/8).
Albanese told a joint press conference in Canberra with Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto that the deal would be “a vital marker for our two countries to support each other’s security, which is important for both of our countries, and also for the stability of the region that we share.”
“We have made good progress, very good I would say, in the Defense Cooperation Agreement. We have finalized some details related to logistics with good results,” Prabowo said.
Australia and Indonesia have the world's longest maritime border and have collaborated on a range of issues, including security, people trafficking and drug smuggling.
“The map of the region has determined that Australia and Indonesia, as our closest neighbours, have a shared destiny, but from this moment forward, that destiny will be determined by deep strategic trust,” said Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles.
Australia has struck a number of defence deals in recent years, the most prominent of which is the AUKUS military alliance with the US and UK, which has angered China.
Prabowo himself said in November last year at a forum that Indonesia was committed to its non-aligned policy and would maintain good relations with China and the United States. (uh/rs)
