Australia and Indonesia: Possibilities for Cooperation
It should be natural that close neighbours like Indonesia and Australia seek to forge strong relations and mutually beneficial cooperation. Geographic proximity, however, does not always guarantee this.
The improvement in bilateral ties is illustrated by the high level of engagement between top officials, such as the recent meeting between President Joko Widodo and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull during the ASEAN Australia Special Summit on 17 March, and the fifth 2+2 meeting of foreign and defence ministers ahead of the summit. However, a changing world order and domestic politics prevent cooperation in many ways.
At the 4th Indonesia-Australia Dialogue in Sydney earlier this month, Dr Connie Rahakundini Bakrie, Executive Director of Indonesia’s Institute of Defense and Security Studies, spoke with Australian Outlook Editor Apoorva Kolluru about Indonesia’s defence options and possibilities for cooperation with Australia in a changing world order.
Dr Connie Bakrie is the Executive Director of Indonesia’s Institute of Defense and Security Studies . She was a participant in the 4th Indonesia-Australia Dialogue held in Sydney on 8-10 April 2018 organised by the Australian Institute of International Affairs with the support of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and PwC.
Interview by Editor of Australian Outlook, Apoorva Kolluru.
Filmed by AIIA Director of Communications, Annabel McGilvray.
