Australia, Indonesia agree to sign new security treaty

SYDNEY

Australia and Indonesia agreed to sign a new security treaty, which includes closer military cooperation, the two countries' leaders said after talks in Sydney on Nov. 12.

Canberra has drawn ever nearer to longtime ally Washington, bolstering its military in an attempt to deter the might of a rising China in the Asia-Pacific region.

Jakarta has walked a more neutral path, wary of drawing too close to Washington and far less willing to needle Beijing.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, speaking alongside President Prabowo Subianto at a Royal Australian Navy Base in Sydney, said they had "just substantively concluded negotiations on a new bilateral treaty on our common security."

"This treaty is a recognition from both our nations that the best way to secure peace and stability is by acting together," Albanese told reporters.

The Australian leader said he hoped to visit Indonesia next year to sign the new treaty.

He said the agreement builds on a bilateral defense pact signed in 2024, which pledged closer cooperation in the contested Asia-Pacific region and included provisions for each military operating in the other country.

Thousands of Indonesian and Australian troops held joint drills in eastern Java months after the 2024 accord was signed.