Russia’s President Vladimir Putin (L) shakes hands with Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto (R) in Moscow, Russia, on July 31, 2024. Maxim Shemetov/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Defence officials have steered away from concerns that the ongoing Australia-Indonesia defence deal with benefit the Russian military amid earlier reports of an airbase being earmarked for the south-east Asian nation.
Instead, officials said there was more concern with Russian-North Korean links in the region.
Late last month, MPs of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties examined issues around the Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) between Australia and Indonesia.
The agreement, signed in August 2024 to replace a 2012 arrangement, enhances cooperation in areas like maritime security, counter-terrorism, and humanitarian assistance.
Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who was briefly the shadow defence industry minister, asked whether the agreement would, in any case, help Russia with its invasion of Ukraine.
“I suppose we saw prior to the election the bilateral naval drills between Russia and Indonesia in Indonesian waters, which raises some concerns given Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” she told the Committee remotely.
