Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will look to deepen defence and investment ties with Indonesia in talks with the nation’s president Prabowo Subianto.
The prime minister will meet face-to-face with Mr Prabowo in Jakarta on Thursday, in his first overseas trip since Labor’s election victory.
Mr Albanese will travel with Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.
The prime minister flagged the Australia-Indonesia defence co-operation agreement, signed last August, would be a priority.
“There’s substantial progress that’s been made already, particularly in the area of maritime, and one of the things that we’ll be discussing as well is that progress going forward,” he told reporters in Perth.
As Canberra grows concerned over Indonesia’s developing relationship with Russia and China, Mr Albanese will seek to strengthen his bond with Mr Prabowo.
Reports emerged during the election campaign that Moscow had requested to operate long-range military aircraft from an Indonesian base.
Mr Albanese said every senior official in the Indonesian government had reassured their Australian counterparts it wasn’t happening.
The prime minister reinforced the importance of the relationship with Jakarta in a phone call with Mr Prabowo, who called him to congratulate him on his election win.
“I want Indonesia to be my first visit. Not Washington, not Beijing, not anywhere else,” Mr Albanese told the president.
Security experts have warned Australia to heed Indonesia’s concerns about the AUKUS deal and growing US military presence in the region, which Jakarta viewed as increasing strategic competition.
The prime minister will fly to Rome after his trip to Jakarta to attend Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration mass on Sunday.
He will return to Australia next week, after he sits down with Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Tuesday.
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