Australian Deputy PM Tomorrow Meets Prabowo To Discuss Defense Partnership

Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto) shook hands with Deputy Prime Minister and Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles after a meeting at the Ministry of Defense, Jakarta, Monday, June 5, 2023. ANTARA/Gilang Galiartha/pri.

JAKARTA - Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Richard Marles MP, will meet with Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto again to discuss partnerships in defense and high-level security.

"I look forward to meeting with my friend Minister Prabowo again to discuss the opportunities we have to build our significant defense partnership today and in the future," said Deputy PM Richard Marles MP, according to an Australian Embassy statement in Jakarta.

The meeting is planned to take place in Jakarta, Friday, February 23, 2024. Talks about defense and high-level security are an effort by both parties to work together in completing the Australian-Indonesian Defense Cooperation Agreement.Marles emphasized that Indonesia is one of Australia's closest partners with a long history and close cooperation in terms of maritime security and sharing the same ambition to further expand and deepen defense relations.

The close relations between the two ministers were previously shown by Marles through his official X account @RichardMarlesMP. Through a tweet uploaded on Thursday (15/2), it was seen that Marles, who was wearing a white shirt, talked to Prabowo, who was wearing a batik shirt in the Minister of Defense's office.

Marles also expressed his joy to meet Minister Prabowo who he called the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Indonesia as well as friends. The relationship between Australia and Indonesia, he said, was connected by geography but made friends by choice. In addition, the two countries have also done great work in advancing the Defense Cooperation Agreement and strengthening defense relations.

"The Australian government is heavily investing in relations with Indonesia as seen in the Prime Minister's phone call and I did with Minister Prabowo last week," he said.