Indonesia and Australia sign defense agreement

Associated Press

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia and Australia signed a defense agreement on Thursday that both sides described as a significant upgrade to their military relationship. Indonesia’s president-elect Prabowo Subianto, who also serves as defense minister, signed the Defense Cooperation Agreement with Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles at Indonesia’s National Military Academy in Magelang, Central Java province. Marles said the agreement, whose text has not been published, is “an important piece of international architecture, a treaty-level agreement” but not a military alliance. The bilateral relationship is becoming increasingly important to Australia in face of growing tensions with China in the region. New Australian prime ministers typically make Jakarta one of their first overseas destinations.