International
Indonesia, Australia to expand security co-operation
Trilateral security arrangements would be developed with Indonesia, Australia and Japan, and between Indonesia, Australia and Papua New Guinea
Indonesia and Australia are planning to expand their security co-operation to include Japan and Papua New Guinea, Jakarta's Defence Minister said Thursday after a meeting with his Australian counterpart.
Trilateral security arrangements would be developed with Indonesia, Australia and Japan, and between Indonesia, Australia and Papua New Guinea, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin told reporters after talks with Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles.
The leaders of Indonesia and Australia signed a security treaty last month that commits them to consult each other if either country is threatened.
Indonesia and Australia will work together on intelligence sharing, Sjafrie said, without providing details.
The two ministers discussed the possibility of developing a defence training facility on the island of Morotai on North Maluku, with a proposal to upgrade its existing defence infrastructure, he said, adding: "We will work together to improve and utilise it."
Marles told reporters that the Morotai facility will belong to Indonesia "but there would be opportunities we see for Australia to engage in training there," adding that it is up to Indonesia to determine how it will be used.
Sjafrie also said military personnel from countries such as the Philippines, Australia and Singapore would have access to the facility, as well as another in North Kalimantan being developed with Singapore.
Indonesia was ready to deploy troops for the international security force in Gaza, but that was dependent on the current dynamic with US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace and the conflict in the Middle East, Sjafrie also said.
Indonesia had been prepared to send 20,000 troops but was now ready to deploy 8,000, in phases, he said, with the move to scale back coming in response to pledges by other countries involved in the initiative to send numbers in the hundreds.
"The president has instructed us to prepare our troops, and we are ready to act, but we are awaiting developments from the BOP. I cannot confirm anything yet because the situation is very dynamic," he added.