Chief of Australian Defence Force signs Joint Statement on Defence Cooperation with Indonesian Counterpart

Chief of the Australian Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, met with his counterpart Commander in Chief, Indonesian Armed Forces, General Djoko Santoso, today in Jakarta to sign a Joint Statement on Defence Cooperation.

The Statement is an outcome of Indonesian Defence Minister Sudarsono’s visit to Australia and was agreed with the Minister for Defence, the Hon. Joel Fitzgibbon MP, in March 2008.

Building on an already strong defence relationship, the Joint Statement reaffirms Australia and Indonesia’s commitment to taking a cooperative approach to security issues under the umbrella of the Lombok Treaty.

“Australia is committed to working with Indonesia as a partner to build a secure and peaceful region. The signing of the Joint Statement demonstrates the strength of the relationship between our two countries and provides a clear direction for future cooperation,” Air Chief Marshal Houston said.

The Joint Statement focuses our defence engagement with Indonesia in areas of counter-terrorism, maritime security, intelligence, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and peacekeeping.

The Statement also outlines activities for future defence engagement, including military training and postgraduate education, study visits and exchanges, combined exercises and maritime and patrol.

Media Enquiries:
Jenny Dee, Counsellor (Public Affairs) Ph. (021) 2550 5290 Mob. 0811 843 547