Strong partnerships in the Indo-Pacific ‘critical’, Penny Wong says, after landmark security deal with Indonesia
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has shrugged off concerns about Indonesia’s long standing relationship with Russia, a day after Australia announced a historic security deal with its neighbour.
Announced on Wednesday, the Australia-Indonesia Treaty on Common Security is modelled closely on a 1995 deal agreed upon by then-Prime Minister Paul Keating, despite later being scrapped during the East Timor crisis four years later.
Details are yet to be worked out, but it is expected Mr Albanese will sign it on his next visit to Indonesia in January.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.On Thursday, Senator Wong told Nine the pact was about stronger relations with Australia’s largest neighbour and to maintain security in the region.
“We know that having strong relationships with our neighbours, with our region, is really critical in this time.”
During the May election campaign, the relationship between Jakarta and Moscow came under domestic scrutiny following reports the Kremlin requested to store war planes on an Indonesian air base in Papua, just under 1300 kilometres from Darwin.
These claims were later debunked as “simply not true” by Defence Minister Richard Marles.
Senator Wong was asked if those requests were still being advanced by Russia, to which she replied: “We know that Indonesia has had a longstanding relationship with Russia.”
“How we best respond to that is by doing what we’re doing, which is to strengthen our relationship with Indonesia, to make sure our partnership enables us to be even closer and to have the conversations about difficult or sensitive matters.”
Russia had longstanding diplomatic relations with several countries, aside from Indonesia, in the region, she added.
Asked by Sky News what China’s response could be to the newly-announced agreement with Australia, Senator Wong said: “Well, I don’t speak for China. I speak for Australia.”
Earlier this year, Indonesia formally joined BRICS, an international bloc that facilitates co-operation between non-Western powers in Europe and Asia and counts China and Russia as founding members.
For Australia, the Indo-Pacific remains a key strategic focus to deepen trade, security and economic development partnerships and counterbalance China’s influence in the region.
