Doorstop, Jakarta, Indonesia

SUBJECTS: Australia-Indonesia relationship; Jakarta Treaty; Iranian women’s football team; Conflict in the Middle East; General Purpose Frigates

RICHARD MARLES, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: Welcome everyone. Just over a month ago, the President of Indonesia and the Prime Minister of Australia signed the Jakarta Treaty. My visit here today is about building on the signing of that treaty and giving momentum in terms of the defence relationship between our two countries. Last night, I was able to have a meeting and dinner with President Prabowo, Foreign Minister Sugiono, and, of course, my counterpart, Defence Minister Sjafrie. I'm very grateful to all three for the hospitality that they provided me and the time that they have given in what is a really important relationship. Today, having signed the defence cooperation agreement back in 2024 and now having signed the Jakarta Treaty, we are at a high-water mark in terms of the closeness of the relationship between Australia and Indonesia. It is characterized by the deepest of friendships at the highest of levels between our Prime Minister and the President, and my relationships, the relationships of our Foreign Minister, Penny Wong. There really is a sense today that we have a shared mission with our counterparts in Indonesia in building the bilateral relationship. But I think what is different today, perhaps to any other moment in the history of our bilateral relationship, is that there is a very clear understanding about the strategic value which each of us brings to the other. For Australia, we understand that our national security lies in the collective security of the ASEAN region of Southeast Asia, and, of course, Indonesia is at the heart of that. And for Indonesia, Australia provides Indonesia with strategic depth. And because both of us understand how our joint national interest can be advanced through this relationship, there is a deep sense of purpose in terms of taking this moment where the personal relationships are so close to advance the national interests and the bilateral relationship of both of our countries. And that shared sense of purpose and mission was very much evident today in the meeting that I had with Pak Sjafrie, but also in the conversations that we had last night, including, of course, with President Prabowo. Specifically, when we look at the Jakarta Treaty, so much of the substance of that lies in the defence space, and we were really seeking to advance that very early on in the life of the Jakarta Treaty through this visit today. And it was very important for us that we come here quickly. And so today, we have moved forward a number of the specifics in relation to those defence announcements that were part of the announcement at the time of the Jakarta Treaty just over a month ago. There will be a representative of the TNI who will institutionally be embedded at a Colonel-level as Deputy Commander of One Brigade in Darwin, starting from the beginning of next year. Now, that officer will, of course, be an officer of the TNI, and of course will be subject to the command of the TNI, but on a day-to-day level this officer will be involved in being Deputy Commander of the First Brigade, one of our three infantry brigades in Australia, the most northerly based brigade in Darwin, and also the brigade that has the most interaction with the marine rotation—the US Marine Rotation—which occurs in Darwin. This is a really significant step forward in terms of the institutional relationship between our two defence forces, but this is, in the highest-level way, an embedded position which adds to the opportunities that those in the TNI have to be involved in the workings of the Australian Defence Force. Later this year, we will be sending an army survey team to Morotai Island to scope out how we can do more infrastructure works there on what is a really important training facility for the TNI, but we very much hope has the opportunity for Australians to be able to train there in the future as well. And this was a significant initiative that was announced back at the signing of the Jakarta Treaty. We are hopeful that, in being able to have the army survey team there later this year, we will be in a position to commence works at the end of this year or beginning of next. And the junior leaders forum that is going to take place in October of this year will now be doubled in duration. And in addition to having a component in Australia, which it’s always had, will now have a component in Indonesia. And what this will do is afford an opportunity for junior officers at the Captain and Lieutenant level to be able to build relationships with their peers in Indonesia and Australia—relationships which they will carry through their life of service in their respective defence forces. All of these are really significant initiatives which greatly advance the defence relationship, but they happen in the context of what is also a very busy year in terms of our defence exercises between Australia and Indonesia. Later this month, an Indonesian frigate will be participating in Exercise Kakadu, which is one of our major maritime exercises. In July, we will have an Indonesian contingent from the Indonesian Air Force participating in Exercise Pitch Black, which is our major air exercise that we do every second year. And in October, we will have our main bilateral exercise between Australia and Indonesia involving more than 2000 personnel—Exercise Keris Woomera, which will be happening here in Indonesia. And we are really very much looking forward to Exercise Keris Woomera as very much part of the schedule of exercises this year. It speaks to the significance of the relationship. And finally, we will, later on this year, have a two-plus-two between our respective foreign ministers and defence ministers. And in December, we will have our second annual trilateral defence ministers meeting between the defence ministers of Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. That occurred for the first time last December, and it is a really important piece of architecture to build stability and confidence within our immediate region. In what is a obviously challenging world, it was really clear to both Pak Sjafrie and myself that we need to be making sure that we are taking steps forward in this bilateral relationship—that there is a historic opportunity to change the nature of this relationship to becoming even closer and even more trusted. But the significance of doing that right now, given everything that's going on in the world, is absolutely profound. And we feel very much the responsibility of this. We're very excited about what we're able to achieve, and this is something which is being felt right across governments at the highest level. And in that, I very much bring the regards of our Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. And again, I very much thank President Prabowo for hosting me last night.

JOURNALIST: Deputy Prime Minister, just returning to Morotai. Is the intention for Australia and Indonesia to develop, is it, a joint training facility?

MARLES: It’s an Indonesian training facility, but there would be opportunities, we see, for Australia to engage in training there. But to be clear, this will be an Indonesian facility, and thinking about how we can use each other's training facilities has been very much part of the discussion that we've had between our two defence forces. Of course, we've got significant training ranges in Australia, and we've been encouraging greater use of those by the TNI, and we've seen that occur over the last couple of years. This is an opportunity, I think, for Australia going forward, to see Morotai developed in this way, but it will very much be a training facility for Indonesia.

JOURNALIST: Can you share a little bit how this Morotai Island, the idea come to be? Because, as you said, that you have a very good personal relations with Minister Sjafrie. And if we remember, like two years, two years ago, you have called with him about the situation in [inaudible] with Russia? Is this idea come about later or before?

MARLES: Well, it's independent of the call that we had last year. I can be clear about that. Morotai is a fantastic asset for Indonesia. There is some old infrastructure which dates back to World War Two on Morotai Island. Pak Sjafrie, I think, really sees the opportunity of what Morotai could be as a training facility for Indonesia, and so he's been very keen to engage us on this issue, both in terms of what we might be able to do in terms of supporting the infrastructure that needs to be developed on Morotai, but also, having done that, what that range could represent as an opportunity for Australia to train in the future as well. Keris Woomera has had a footprint on Morotai in previous editions of it. So this is a facility that has been used in the past, but we think there's so much potential for it going forward. And really, that's where this idea has come from. It's very much been Indonesian-led, but we see this as a great opportunity for us as well.

JOURNALIST: Can you give any details on what the United States requested in terms of military resource deployment to the Middle East, and will Australia commit to more military resource deployment?

MARLES: Can you start the question again?

JOURNALIST: I'm sorry, can you give any details on what the United States requested in terms of military deployment, resource deployment in the Middle East?

MARLES: Look, I've spoken about this in Australia. I mean, we've made our announcements earlier this week about the deployment of an E-7 to the Gulf, and that is very much at the request of the United Arab Emirates, and it is there to provide for contribution to the defence of the countries of the Gulf, including the UAE. We've had requests from a number of countries in respect of that, including the United States, but our deployment of the E-7 is very much in response to the specific request that we received by the UAE.

JOURNALIST: Has the Wedgetail arrived, and when are you hoping to have it operational?

MARLES: Look, I'm not going to add to what I said earlier in the week about that. I think, for operational reasons, we will probably be coy about going into a running commentary about the progress of the E-7. We want to have it up and running as quickly as we can. Obviously, it's operating in a difficult part of the world, which is why it's there, and so we won't be going into details beyond what I said.

JOURNALIST: Are we considering any other assistance to the Gulf nations?

MARLES: Look, we are focused on the announcements that we've made so far, which is the E-7. We will be supplying the UAE with a number of advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles, which we also announced a couple of days ago, and that's very much our focus.

JOURNALIST: Can you explain to us how you will guarantee Iranian soccer player who stayed and granted asylum in Australian, how you will guarantee their safety?

MARLES: In Australia—

JOURNALIST: Yes, in Australia.

MARLES: Well, six members of that party have taken up the opportunity of staying in Australia on a humanitarian visa. We are very pleased to have been able to make that offer, and those six people are very welcome in Australia, and we see them building their lives in Australia. It's been a sensitive issue that we've needed to manage very carefully over the course of the period where the team and the associated party were in Australia. You know, from here, six people have stayed, and they will be given all the assistance that people on humanitarian visas in Australia are given.

JOURNALIST: Just a little bit of update about the Mogami-class frigate, and your intention of concluding the commercial contract with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in 2026. I just want to know, how's the updates on that?

MARLES: Well, that's all progressing very well. We have said that in terms of the commercial contracts, that they will be—we're hoping to conclude them within the first few months of this year, and we're on track to being able to do that. You know, more broadly, as we look forward to the construction of those vessels, the first three in Japan, that all is on track. I mean, we are very excited about the acquisition of the Mogami-class vessel as our new general purpose frigate. Our intention always was to have this come into service very quickly, with the first being delivered to Australia before the end of this decade, in 2029. That is all very much still on track.

JOURNALIST: So there is a concern about the arms race between the countries in Southeast Asia. What's Australia’s positions in the [inaudible] of ASEAN centrality?

MARLES: Firstly, we are utterly committed to ASEAN centrality. ASEAN centrality is at the heart of Australia's national interest. And I say that because through our Defence Strategic Review, our National Defence Strategy which we announced in 2024—and that will be updated in the next month or so with the release of the National Defence Strategy 2026—what is really clear is that Australia's national security lies in the collective security of the Northeast Indian Ocean, of the Pacific, but very much of Southeast Asia. The geography of our national security is right here. And it's why I said earlier that I think one of the really significant steps that's been taken forward in terms of the bilateral relationship between Australia and Indonesia is our shared understanding of our strategic value to each other. From an Australian point of view, ASEAN centrality—the collective security of Southeast Asia—is fundamentally important to Australia's national security, and Indonesia is clearly at the heart of that. So we are deeply invested in ASEAN. We are deeply invested in the notion of ASEAN centrality. In terms of our own military build-up, but for that matter the military build-up of other countries, we understand that countries have a national interest in respect from this. What matters is that there is a constant sense of strategic reassurance which is being provided by countries in the region to each other, to our neighbours. That is the same. We give an explanation every time we engage in a new capability, every time we engage in increasing our defence capacity, and that's what we do. And when you look at the Jakarta Treaty, you know, at its heart is about talking to each other about the steps that we are taking in terms of our national security so that there is a clear understanding. And we're very much doing that with Indonesia. We are doing that across the board. And at the heart of how to manage the way in which countries are building up their militaries—which is something we understand—at the heart of that is very clear communication and strategic reassurance.

JOURNALIST: Deputy Prime Minister, sorry to circle you back to Morotai, but just you also mentioned those trilateral talks with Papua New Guinea as well.

MARLES: Yes—

JOURNALIST: Is this potentially a facility that you would also anticipate Pacific partners to engage with as well?

MARLES: Well, look, that's a matter for Indonesia. So this, as I say, is going to be an Indonesian asset, so it's really a matter for Indonesia to determine the opportunities for its use. I mean, I can only say that we see it as a really important asset that can be developed. We very much can see Indonesia's vision, and we want to help support it, and that is a key initiative that we are announcing today. In terms of the trilateral between Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea, like, it is a major step forward. It's a really important piece of architecture. Building a sense of confidence and security, and confidence in the shared security of our three countries, plays a really important role in advancing peace and stability within our region—within our immediate region. And it was a really successful meeting that we had last December. We are very much looking forward to the meeting that we will have at the end of this year. And in the bilateral discussions that I've had, not just with Pak Sjafrie, but also with my counterpart Minister Billy Joseph of Papua New Guinea, there is a shared sense of commitment to this architecture.

JOURNALIST: And just lastly on that, very quickly, would you anticipate a permanent or semi-permanent Australian presence in Morotai?

MARLES: This is a—we're not talking about that, and this is an Indonesian asset. But what we're talking about is helping in the development of a really important training range for Indonesia, and a training range which I'm sure at times we will be able to operate from, and in fact have in the past with previous iterations of Exercise Keris Woomera.

JOURNALIST: About the Morotai facility, how do you see it could threaten or pose tensions with China, for instance? Like Indonesia and Australia is training on Indonesian soil. How do you see possibility of tension?

MARLES: Look, I don't think it is about that. This is not about any other third country. This is about building the shared capability between Indonesia and Australia and building our defence relationship. And I think it's important in answering that question to give a sense of the character of the conversations that I've had in the past 24 hours with both President Prabowo but also Pak Sjafrie, and indeed, not just this trip, but the whole way in all the conversations we've had in Indonesia. We are really focused on our bilateral relationship on its own terms. We are neighbours, but we have so much strategic value to each other, and we really want to take the opportunity of that. So what you will see in all that we have announced is really not about any other country. It is about Indonesia, and it's about Australia, and it's about our relationship and how working together much more closely we provide much more for the collective safety and security of both of our countries.

JOURNALIST: Pak Sjafrie also said that he will also share the Morotai training facilities with Philippines and Japan, or our US allies, and looking at how Indonesia trajectory and joining [inaudible], Jakarta Treaty with Australia. How do you view Australia as the close neighbours of Indonesia, looking this contest as more [inaudible]?

MARLES: It’s really the answer I have just given. I mean, we see Indonesia in its own terms. We actually have a shared destiny—you know, geography determines that. But what's really exciting at the moment is that you've got a sense of commitment at the very highest level between the most senior leaders of both of our countries to manifest that destiny, to actually bring it into a reality, and that's going to be so good for both of our countries. We're not thinking beyond that. Like, we are really thinking about the importance of our bilateral relationship, except perhaps to say, you know, we both observe that we are living in a pretty challenging world, and that in a challenging world, being able to make sure that our relationship is as close as it can possibly be and that we are taking steps to advance it is profoundly important for both our peoples.