 "5 things you should know about the Indonesia-Australia defence deal and why it matters – Firstpost")
Australia and Indonesia have signed a new defence cooperation agreement, which the leaders described as a historic moment in bilateral relations.
Australia and Indonesia are neighbours with the longest maritime borders in the world and have a long-standing relationship and cooperation on security issues. Indonesia has always been one of the first ports of call for new Australian Prime Ministers.
Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto highlighted the ties at a press conference announcing the agreement, saying there was “no more important relationship than that between our two great nations.” The agreement would allow for more joint military exercises and visits between the two countries.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the agreement a “historic treaty.” He said the deal would “strengthen our strong defense cooperation by deepening dialogue, increasing interoperability and improving practical arrangements.”
Although the agreement has been announced, it is expected to be finalised in the next few days when Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles travels to Indonesia to sign the agreement. The two countries said last year that they were negotiating a new pact to replace their existing defence cooperation agreement.
Here are five things you should know about the Australia-Indonesia security agreement
1. More exercises, more interoperability
The new security agreement would not only enable more joint military exercises between the Australian and Indonesian militaries, but would also ensure significantly greater interoperability.
“This agreement will provide significantly greater interoperability between our defence forces, it will provide significantly more exercises between our defence forces, it will enable us to work together in the global community to support the rules-based order and, importantly, it will enable us to operate from each other’s countries,” said Australia’s Defence Minister Marles.
Nothing further is known about the deal. Albanese, Marles and Subianto did not answer any questions from the press after the briefing.
2. The China factor
Although neither Indonesia nor Australia mentioned China by name, the fact is that the agreement came at a time when Australia and its partners are concerned about China’s aggressive activities and hegemonic plans in the Indo-Pacific region.
China has not only been aggressive in the waters around its coasts, but has also made contact with island nations in the Indo-Pacific. Australia’s efforts to reach out to China should also be seen as part of efforts to contain China in the region.
Australia views the Indo-Pacific as its turf and works with like-minded partners such as the US and India to contain Chinese influence and unrest in the region.
In his remarks, Albanese said the agreement was vital not only for the two countries but also for “the stability of the region we share.”
3. But is the deal practical?
Even though Australia and Indonesia have agreed on the agreement, there are doubts about its practical feasibility.
These issues are at the forefront because Indonesia does not have the same concerns about China as Australia or its partners.
Indonesia has also declared that it will not join any alliance.
Euan Graham, an analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute think tank, questioned the strategic value of the agreement for Australia, stressing that Indonesia had made it clear that it would remain non-aligned even if it were to be re-elected. He told AP that this meant that Indonesia was one of the countries that neither wanted to officially ally itself with nor oppose a major power bloc such as the United States.
“The problem is that Indonesia has a different threat perception towards China than Australia,” Graham said.
4. Recent Australian defence pact
In recent years, Australia has been involved in numerous security-related discussions and agreements.
The most notable of these agreements is the AUKUS agreement with the United Kingdom and the United States. It aims to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines for the Royal Australian Navy. The second part of the AUKUS focuses on improving joint capabilities and interoperability in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and additional underwater capabilities.
Although it is not a new treaty, another agreement has become important as the region faces a common threat from China. There is a Five Power Defense Agreement (FPDA) with Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the UK, which requires members to consult each other in the event of an attack on Malaysia or Singapore.
There is also the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue with the United States, Japan and India. While it is not a security alliance, the increasing focus on the security and stability of the Middle East gives it a strong security dimension. In addition, the four nations held joint military exercises in Australia last year.
5. Human rights concerns
There are fears that the Indonesian government could use the agreement to the regime’s political advantage.
Indonesia is a Muslim-majority country and there are strong Islamist currents in the country. There are also human rights concerns about the Islamic hijab regulations and the queer community in the country. Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the Australian government should use the platform created by the agreement to call on Indonesia to “fulfill the human rights-related commitments that previous Indonesian governments have made but failed to keep.”
“These (human rights concerns) include some difficult issues such as the mandatory hijab rule, the crackdown on LGBT people and the government’s unwillingness to allow foreign journalists and UN officials to visit West Papua,” HRW Australia director Daniela Gavshon said, according to The Guardian.
According to the newspaper, HRW claims that up to 100,000 Papuans have been displaced since 2018 as violence between Indonesian forces and militants escalated in the region.
HRW has highlighted reports of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in the region.
