Visited By Deputy PM And Australian Defense Minister, Defense Minister Prabowo Holds Closed Meeting

JAKARTA - Minister of Defense (Menhan) Prabowo Subianto received an official visit from the Deputy Prime Minister (PM) of Australia Richard Marles.

The Deputy PM who is also the Minister of Defense of Australia arrived at the State Defense Field, the Ministry of Defense (Kemhan) Jakarta at around 11.59 WIB, Monday, June 5.

After listening to the national anthems of each country, Prabowo then invited the Deputy PM who together with 3 delegates conducted a review of the troops before placing the wreath at the Fire Monument, the Spirit of Indonesia Merdeka, to never put it out.

Australian Deputy PM and Prabowo then took turns introducing their respective delegations, before proceeding with closed-door high-level meetings.

The visit of the Deputy PM of Australia to the Indonesian Ministry of Defense became a series of agendas while in Indonesia on June 5-7, 2023. Marles attended the International Institute forum for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue 2023 in Singapore, last weekend.

The two ministers previously also met at the 2+2 Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Defense of Indonesia-Australia in Canberra, Australia, on February 8, 2023.

At that time both parties discussed the dynamics and competition between the main forces and maritime security in the ASEAN region and the Pacific.

At that time, Indonesia expressed concerns about increasing rivalry in the region, which if not managed properly has the potential to cause open conflict.

Therefore, Indonesia continues to invite Australia to jointly become a mutually supportive force in maintaining a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.

Indonesia also emphasized the importance of AUKUS transparency, the trilateral cooperation pact of Australia, Britain, and the United States, in order to maintain territorial waters as a peaceful place, free from armed and nuclear conflicts.

Indonesia is worried that AUKUS' presence will only increase tensions and arms competitions among superpowers that have the potential to threaten stability and security in the region.