18 May 2019
Two Royal Australian Navy ships, HMAS Canberra and HMAS Newcastle, have arrived in Jakarta as part of the Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2019 mission, which aims to deepen Australia’s engagement with the region’s security forces.
The ships arrived in north Jakarta’s Tanjung Priok on Saturday morning, the last leg of their mission, following a wide range of disaster and military training activities with Indonesia as well as India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
During its visit to Jakarta, HMAS Canberra, a helicopter landing dock ship, will host a workshop on disaster relief response and engage in a range of activities, including a buka puasa. This year, for the first time, an exhibition showcasing Australia’s state-of-the-art defence industry will be included.
Australia’s Ambassador to Indonesia Gary Quinlan said the visit demonstrated that a strong relationship with Indonesia was critical to Australia’s national security.
“Indonesia and Australia share the longest maritime border of any two countries in the world and we work closely to foster greater cooperation between our defence forces,” he said.
“Close cooperation between two such strategic partners is essential in ensuring an Indo-Pacific region that is secure, open, prosperous and resilient.”
Australia’s Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Michael Noonan and the Commander of Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2019 Joint Task Force, Air Commodore Rick Owen, were joined by more than 1,000 Australian Defence Force personnel in Jakarta.
Indonesia and Australia work closely on a range of security matters, including counter-terrorism, maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, peacekeeping and defence industry cooperation.
About Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2019
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