Indonesia and Australia are close to signing a new bilateral defense treaty, leaders from both countries said Wednesday. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the pact during Prabowo’s first state visit to Australia.
Albanese said he hopes to sign the finalized treaty during a visit to Indonesia in January. “The governments of Australia and Indonesia have just substantively concluded negotiations on a new bilateral treaty on our common security,” he told reporters alongside Prabowo in Sydney.
The treaty will require both countries to consult regularly at the leader and ministerial level on security matters. It also commits Australia and Indonesia to identify and carry out mutually beneficial security activities. If either country faces a threat, they will consult and consider measures to address the risks individually or jointly, Albanese added.
Prabowo called the agreement “an important treaty between Australia and Indonesia.” He emphasized the value of neighborly support, saying, “Good neighbors will help each other in times of difficulties and in the Indonesian culture, we have a saying when we face an emergency, it is our neighbor that will help us.”
The planned treaty marks a significant step in strengthening security cooperation between the two nations, ensuring both countries can respond collaboratively to potential threats in the region.
