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View all search resultsDeeper Indonesia-Australia cooperation to secure Indo-Pacific
During their annual foreign and defense ministers' meeting on Aug. 26, the two neighbors pledged to deepen cooperation with a particular view to enhancing security in the Indo-Pacific amid rising global power rivalry and food and energy shocks from the Mideast war.
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Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin (left) and Foreign Minister Sugiono (second right) pose with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Minister Richard Marles (second left) and Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Aug. 26, 2026, during the 10th Australia-Indonesia Foreign and Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Melbourne. (Courtesy of/Foreign Ministry)
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ndonesia and Australia pledged on Wednesday to deepen cooperation on security, maritime affairs and regional resilience in the Indo-Pacific, with Jakarta pushing for stronger energy and supply chain cooperation.
The commitment came during the countries’ 10th annual 2+2 meeting in Melbourne, where Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and Foreign Minister Sugiono attended talks with their Australian hosts, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
Opening the talks, the four ministers said in a statement that Jakarta and Canberra would focus this year on implementing the Treaty on Common Security, signed in February by President Prabowo Subianto and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
The treaty commits both sides to regular consultations and cooperation in addressing shared security challenges.
Discussions during the foreign and defense ministers’ meeting on Aug. 26 focused on strengthening joint military exercises, personnel exchanges, defense industry cooperation and maritime domain awareness.
Coordinated patrols and joint exercises in particular, including the Keris Woomera exercise scheduled for October, are set to further enhance military interoperability.
“The state of our bilateral relationship has an enormous influence on the national security of both Australia and Indonesia. [...] We are maritime nations that are deeply invested in the rules-based order around the world,” Marles said ahead of the meeting.
