Sydney (TDI): Australia and Indonesia have agreed to formalize a new security treaty, signaling closer military cooperation between the two nations, leaders announced Wednesday following talks in Sydney.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto held a joint press briefing at a Royal Australian Navy base, with Albanese confirming that negotiations on the bilateral security pact had been “substantively concluded.”
“This treaty is a recognition from both our nations that the best way to secure peace and stability is by acting together,” Albanese told reporters. He added that he hopes to visit Indonesia next year to formally sign the agreement.
The new pact builds on a bilateral defense agreement signed in 2024, which laid the foundation for closer cooperation in the contested Asia-Pacific region and allowed for military personnel from each country to operate on the other’s soil.
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Under the agreement, both countries will commit to regular consultations at the leadership and ministerial levels on security matters. They will also coordinate on mutually beneficial security activities and, in the event that either nation faces a threat, consult on measures that may be taken individually or jointly.
President Prabowo emphasized the importance of regional cooperation. “We cannot choose our neighbours, especially countries like us,” he said. “Good neighbours will help each other in times of difficulties.”
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The treaty comes as Australia has increasingly aligned its defense strategy with longtime ally the United States to counterbalance China’s rising influence in the Asia-Pacific, while Indonesia has maintained a more neutral stance, avoiding alignment that could provoke Beijing.
