The Hon Scott Morrison MP
Prime Minister of Australia
Message from The Prime Minister
17 August 2020
As your close friend and neighbour, Australia sends its warm congratulations to the Government and people of Indonesia as you celebrate your nation’s 75th anniversary of independence.
This anniversary is a milestone following the Indonesian people’s long struggle for independence, which Australia is proud to have actively supported.
The friendship and momentum that underpins our relationship was demonstrated by the visit of His Excellency President Joko Widodo to Australia in February this year and his important address to the Australian Parliament.
This year marks 70 years of formal diplomatic relations between Australia and Indonesia. Our relationship builds upon the work of successive generations in both countries – political leaders, officials, business people, students and volunteers. These efforts led to the Lombok Treaty of 2006 and our declaration of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2018. This is a commitment to deepen bilateral cooperation and advance shared values in our region, which we want to be strategically secure, economically stable and politically sovereign.
In 2020, we also ratified the landmark Indonesia–Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement deal that enhances our trade, investment and business ties. These efforts have forged a relationship that is not just vital for both our countries, but for our ASEAN neighbours and our wider Indo-Pacific region.
I am confident our long and dynamic partnership will help us work together to overcome the health, social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Just as we have come to one another’s aid in the face of recent natural disasters, so too will we stand together to rebuild and recover from this global challenge.
In Australia, we see Indonesia’s success as our success, and the region’s success. And so we join you on your Independence Day, acknowledging the achievements of the past, but most of all looking to the future with optimism and hope.
The Hon Scott Morrison MP
Prime Minister of Australia