JAKARTA — The governments of Indonesia and Australia agreed on Monday to cover the shortage in grains supplies caused by the Russia-Ukraine war. This agreement came in a virtually broadcasted press conference of Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
President Widodo said that it was important to bolster food security, maintaining supplies including those of grains. He affirmed that both countries were eager to boost cooperation in manufacturing food products as well as other fields of collaboration including energy and efforts to battle climate change.
On his part, Albanese announced that his country would provide an initial grant of $200 million for infrastructure partnership.
He confirmed that Australia would be present at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, next November despite the presence Russia, saying that it was paramount for countries to partake in the meeting due to the uncertainty in the global economy.
This is Albanese first visit to Indonesia since winning the last election and swearing constitutional oath on May 23, 2022.
Albanese has flagged a new approach to visa rules to ensure Australia is “more welcoming” to Indonesian investors, travelers and students as part of a plan to expand a $17.8 billion trade relationship while tightening security ties in meetings in Jakarta.
Pledging stronger ties with a crucial neighbor, Albanese emerged from a bilateral meeting with Widodo to express concern about a backlog of visa applications that could hurt the two economies unless changes were made to free up the flow of investment and people.
In a day of talks that included a tour through the Bogor Palace grounds on locally-made bicycles, Albanese and Widodo committed to regional security ties, with the Indonesian leader emphasizing the need for a “culture of peace and strategic trust” but with neither leader naming China in their joint remarks.
“International laws must be followed consistently,” Widodo said in a statement after the meeting. “Strategic competition in the region must be well-managed to avoid open conflict. The culture of peace and strategic trust needs to be strengthened continuously.”
Speaking to the media after their talks, however, Albanese condemned the “act of aggression” and “dangerous act” by a Chinese aircraft in its interception of an RAAF surveillance aircraft in the region of the South China Sea.
The Australian prime minister has made deeper engagement with southeast Asia a priority for his new government and promised a roving regional envoy to southeast Asia, a new southeast Asia office within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, a $200 million climate and infrastructure fund with Indonesia and an extra $470 million in aid for the regions.
The president, who is widely known as Jokowi, said the pair “exchanged thoughts among others on the Ukrainian war, Indo-Pacific cooperation and [a] partnership on development in the Indo-Pacific”.
“In general I reiterated Indonesia’s consistent position that good relations between the two nations can contribute to the peace and prosperity in the region. Therefore, international law must be followed consistently.”
Albanese confirmed the pair discussed the “significant defense and security relationship and all this does to support regional security and stability”.
Stronger trade ties between the two nations, underpinned by the three-year-old free trade deal and the presence of senior ministers Penny Wong, Don Farrell and Ed Husic and a delegation of chief executives, featured prominently in the bilateral talks. — Agencies
