FPCI and Australian Embassy Hold Talks with FA and Trade Assistant Minister

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI) along with Australian Embassy in Indonesia held a special conversation with Foreign Affairs and Trade Assistant Minister of Australia, the Hon Matt Thistlethwaite in Jakarta.

On his working visit to Indonesia, Thistlethwaite said on Tuesday, July 14, 2026 ,that Australia has expanded the Jakarta treaty as the new chapter in Australia-Indonesia partnership.

After working together in defense sector, this year, Australia and Indonesia partnership get stronger by signing an MOU with several sector such as economy, political and business.

Speaking at the foreign policy community of Indonesia forum held on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, Thistlethwaite said that during his working visit in Indonesia he also join Under Secretary or the Under Minister for Trade to launch Catalyst 2.0, on Monday, July 13th 2026.

This program been running for five years under the Indonesia Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership that is providing new opportunities for Indonesian businesses in capability and exporting into Australian markets.

"And yesterday I met the founder of an Indonesian chocolate company, a cocoa producer that has been established predominantly by women, by young women and is now exporting into the very big Australian cocoa market. One thing that Australians love, it is chocolate. And that is a new Indonesian business that is growing on the back of exports into the Australian market. And that is what we want to see more," he said.

Asia region is home to 60% of the world's population and 60% of global GDP. And as part of this, Southeast Asia is expected to be the world's fourth largest economy by 2040. Australia is committed to working with Southeast Asia to build partnerships to protect the rules and to invest in collective future, security and prosperity.

Australia relationship with Indonesia is a critical part of that. The cooperation across security, the maritime domain, trade and Investment in ASEAN in development and education is decades long and deep.

Through the signing of the Australia Indonesia Treaty on Common Security or the Jakarta Treaty, both countries commits to consult on a regular basis on matters affecting common security and develop the sort of cooperation that will boost security and that of the region, whether this be in defence, maritime, cyber or economic security cooperation.

The treaty supports new bilateral security initiatives and more sophisticated joint exercises between our militaries, the joint development of defence training facilities in Indonesia and a new embedded position for senior Indonesian military officers in the Australian Defence Force.

Cooperation that is enshrined within that treaty has gone to a new level, particularly the defence cooperation. And that's why it becomes an evidence of a new area of cooperation between Australia and Indonesia.