Sydney: Indonesia and Australia are on the verge of finalizing a new bilateral defense treaty, as announced by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The announcement was made during President Subianto's first state visit to Australia.
According to Bahrain News Agency, Prime Minister Albanese expressed his hope to officially sign the treaty during his upcoming visit to Indonesia in January. During a joint statement with President Subianto in Sydney, Albanese disclosed that the governments of the two nations had nearly completed negotiations on the treaty, which focuses on common security interests.
The treaty will require Australia and Indonesia to engage in regular consultations at both leader and ministerial levels. These discussions will cover security matters, with the aim of identifying and implementing mutually beneficial security activities. Furthermore, the treaty stipulates that if the security of either or both countries is threatened, consultations will be held to consider potential measures, either individually or jointly, to address such threats.
President Subianto emphasized the significance of the agreement, stating that an important treaty had been concluded between the two countries.