Australia and Indonesia have finalized a new defense agreement that strengthens the close ties between the two countries, while Prabowo Subianto prepares to take office as Indonesia’s next president in October. The details of the agreement, which have been under negotiation since February 2023, have not yet been made public, but it is expected to include provisions for joint military exercises, deployments to each other’s territories, and increased maritime cooperation in the contested South China Sea.
Prabowo, currently serving as Indonesia’s Minister of Defense and expected to lead the world’s third-largest democracy on October 20, is currently on a two-day official visit to Australia. The agreement is set to be formally signed in the coming days when Australia’s Minister of Defense, Richard Marles, visits Jakarta.
After a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the Parliament in Canberra, Prabowo described the agreement as a “very good outcome,” adding that it would be “beneficial for both our countries in the future.” He also expressed a desire for greater collaboration with Australia on issues beyond defense, including economics, food security, agriculture, and combating international drug trafficking. “We would like to see more Australian participation in our economy,” he stated. “I am determined to continue this good neighborly relationship… Australia plays a very important role for us.”
A statement from the Australian Department of Defence mentioned that Albanese and Marles met with Prabowo to discuss “Australia’s ongoing commitment to work in partnership with Indonesia on shared economic, security, and climate-related priorities.” Marles described the defense agreement as one of the most significant deals ever negotiated between the two countries, stating that they are working “closer together than ever before.”
“What this agreement will do is enable much greater interoperability between our defense forces, it will promote more exercises between our defense forces, it will see us work together to uphold the rules-based system and, most importantly, it will allow us to operate from each other’s countries,” he told reporters. “In that sense, this agreement will be the deepest and most significant agreement that our two countries have ever made.”
Under Prabowo’s leadership, a stronger focus on foreign affairs is expected compared to the outgoing president Joko Widodo, who has never attended the UN General Assembly in New York and rarely conducts interviews in languages other than Indonesian.
However, concerns remain regarding Prabowo’s human rights record. The 72-year-old former son-in-law of Suharto, Indonesia’s authoritarian president from 1967 to 1998, was dismissed from the military in 1998 due to the kidnapping of student activists. Prabowo has also faced prosecution for alleged atrocities in East Timor in 1983, where he allegedly led the massacre of up to 200 Timorese men. He has denied the allegations.
Daniela Gavshon, Australia Director at Human Rights Watch, urged Albanese to press Prabowo on Indonesia’s concerning human rights record, including religious freedom and LGBTQ rights. “Australian leaders should not allow Prabowo’s troubling human rights past to keep them from vigorously raising current human rights issues,” she said. “They should emphasize that the new president has an important opportunity to restore Indonesia’s standing concerning West Papua and other human rights issues.”