When contacted from Jakarta, Head of the Indonesian Defense Ministry's Public Relations Bureau, Edwin Adrian Sumantha, stated that the signing would be witnessed by senior officials from the two countries' defense ministries and armed forces.
"The signing of the Indonesia-Australia DCA is the result of the defense cooperation that has been well-fostered since 1967. The two countries believe that the DCA would facilitate them to collaborate to anticipate likely security threats in the Asia-Pacific region," he noted.
Sumantha further explained that the DCA would also serve as a legal instrument for complementing the existing agreement.
He said the two countries are on the same page about the need to take their defense cooperation to the next level, considering that they have been witnessing intensified cooperation between their military institutions in the last decade, particularly in the fields of education and training.
The official elaborated further on the military ties, saying that the TNI had sent its cadets to study at the Australian Defense Forces Academy and the Royal Military College in Duntroon.
Furthermore, he said, Indonesia and Australia have begun contemplating on establishing a joint peace mission under the United Nations peacekeeping forces.
"Moreover, the two countries have seen their military forces gaining intensity in joint drills," he added.
Negotiations on the Indonesia-Australia DCA took place alternately in Jakarta and Canberra in May, August, and December last year, with the conclusion reached recently on August 20, 2024.
Minister Prabowo, who will soon assume the presidency in October, announced the end of the rounds of negotiations during his meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Australian Parliament House, Canberra.
On the occasion, PM Albanese dubbed the DCA as a historic agreement while expressing optimism about the legal instrument paving the way for even stronger bilateral defense cooperation expected to help maintain stability in the region.
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Translator: Genta T, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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