Indonesia and Australia agree to strengthen security ties

JAKARTA, Sept. 9 (Reuters) – Indonesia and Australia agreed to deepen security ties during a ministerial meeting on Thursday, with ongoing discussions to allow joint military training in Australia and participation in their defense academies.

Agreements were signed on fighting terrorism, defense and cybersecurity, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said, in addition to another agreement to support Pacific island nations.

The trip to Jakarta by Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defense Minister Peter Dutton was the first Australian ministerial visit to Indonesia since the start of the pandemic.

Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto said the talks included the possibility of joint military training in Australia and that Indonesian cadets attend Australian academies, which he described as historic developments.

Military exchanges between the two neighbors have previously included the fight against terrorism and the protection of borders.

But those ties have been strained at times, including alleged abuses by Indonesian special forces Kopassus in East Timor in 1999, Australian spies in 2013 ringing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s phone and Indonesia’s concerns in 2017 about teaching and statements made to an Australian army. language training center.

Other areas discussed on Thursday included political developments in Afghanistan and Myanmar, ministers said, with both countries expressing support for the mission of a regional envoy from Southeast Asia, in addition to peace and security. in the Indo-Pacific.

“Indonesia and Australia must become the anchors of cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region,” said Dutton, who described the region as “increasingly contested.”

The meeting came amid new concerns about the South China Sea, including a law announced by China that required notification of foreign vessels before entering large stretches of ocean that it claims to own.

“We welcome a region that supports a level playing field based on rules and regulations to ensure healthy competition rather than competition that runs the risk of falling into instability or conflict,” Payne said.

“Australia and Indonesia are well placed to cooperate on this vision.”

Australia’s foreign and defense ministers will meet with counterparts from anywhere else in the Indo-Pacific, with stops in India, South Korea and the United States.

Report by Kate Lamb in Sydney and Stanley Widianto in Jakarta; Edited by Martin Petty and Michael Perry

Our standards: the principles of trust of Thomson Reuters.