MELBOURNE, Australia — Indonesia and Australia on Tuesday finalized a new bilateral defense treaty that will enhance the neighboring nations’ ability to operate their militaries in each other’s territory.
Indonesia’s President-elect Prabowo Subianto, left, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese shake hands following a joint statement at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024.
“What this agreement will do is provide for much greater interoperability between our defense forces, it will provide for much more exercises between our defense forces, it will see us working together the global commons to support the rules-based order and, importantly, it will allow us to operate from each other’s countries,” Marles told reporters.
Euan Graham, an analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute think tank, questioned the pact’s strategic value to Australia. With around 275 million people, Indonesia has 10 times the population of Australia, which has fewer than 27 million people. “We have had our ups and downs as the political situation and the geopolitical situation of course evolved, but I think we are very happy today to have several decades of very close cooperation,” Subianto told reporters and added he was determined to continue “this good neighbor relationship.”
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