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The flags of Indonesia and Australia fly before a meeting between Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marrs at the Defense Ministry’s office in Jakarta on February 23, 2024.
Yasuyoshi Chiba | AFP | Getty Images
Australia and Indonesia have reached a treaty-level defence cooperation agreement that will allow Australian and Indonesian militaries to operate in each other’s country, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday.
“This will be an important basis for our mutual support for security, which is so vital for both countries and for the stability of our shared region,” Albanese told a joint news conference in Canberra with Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto.
Australia and Indonesia share the world’s longest maritime border and already cooperate on a range of issues including security, people trafficking and drug smuggling.
Australian Defense Minister Richard Marrs said: “The map does show that Australia and Indonesia share a common destiny as the closest of neighbours, but from this moment on that destiny is largely based on a deep strategic trust.”
Australia has struck a number of defence deals in recent years, most notably the AUKUS military alliance with the United States and Britain, a move that has angered China.
Prabowo said at a forum last November that Indonesia adheres to its non-aligned policy and will maintain good relations with China and the United States.
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