"We are still awaiting the final decision of our leader," Fadhilah said.
In his statement, he pointed out that the Indonesian language teaching program for the Australian army had been suspended due to an insult to Indonesias state ideology of Pancasila.
The insult - allegedly committed by some members of the Australian army - was witnessed by the Indonesian Special Forces group Kopassus, which had been trained together with the Australian Special Air Service at the units Campbell Barracks in Perth, last November.
Nevertheless, Fadhilah underlined that the Indonesian army had been dispatched to Australia on behalf of the state, as part of a government-to-government partnership.
"Hence, the final decision (whether to continue military cooperation) will be taken by the armys commander and top officials," Fadhilah affirmed.
Australian Defence Minister Marise Payne has apologised to the Indonesian government and conveyed her regret over the behavior of the ADF members.
This incident prompted TNI commander General Gatot Nurmantyo to suspend military cooperation with the ADF around mid-December 2016.
Following the suspension, the joint military exercise and the exchange of military officers between the two countries have been put on hold. (*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2017
