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View all search resultsPrabowo says 'understands, respects' AUKUS pact
The trilateral security pact, formulated in part to respond to a rising China, has sparked regional worries given it allows for Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.
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D
efense Minister Prabowo Subianto has said his Indonesia understood the reasons behind the United States, Australia and United Kingdom establishing the AUKUS security agreement, though at a forum at the weekend, repeated concerns about an arms race in the region.
The trilateral security pact, formulated in part to respond to a rising China, has sparked regional worries given it allows for Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.
When asked about AUKUS at the International Institute for Strategic Studies Manama Dialogue in Bahrain on Saturday, Prabowo said he understood why countries would move to secure their interests.
"Officially, our position is that of course Southeast Asia should remain nuclear-free, and the fear, of course, among Southeast Asian nations is that this will spark an arms race," he said.
"But as I said, the emphasis of every country is to protect their national interest. If they feel threatened […] they will do whatever they can to protect themselves. And this is what I mean that we understand that and we respect them."
His comments appear to offer a more pragmatic view of the pact after Indonesia's foreign ministry issued a statement in September saying it was "deeply concerned" by the alliance, warning that it could spark a regional arms race.
The security pact comes amid rising tensions in the South China Sea, as countries push back against China’s maritime claims in the strategic and resource-rich waterway.
