Indonesia, Australia Strengthen Strategic Partnership on Food Security, Mineral Downstreaming, Global Education

President Prabowo Subianto and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hold a joint photo session at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Friday (2/6).

President Prabowo Subianto and Australian Prime Minister (PM) Anthony Albanese affirmed their commitment to strengthening strategic partnership of the two countries through concrete cooperation in various priority areas. In the agricultural sector, Indonesia and Australia agreed to expand cooperation to support strengthened Indonesia’s food security.

“In today’s meeting, Prime Minister Albanese and I also discussed various shared priority agendas. In the agricultural sector, I invited Australia to develop joint ventures in the agricultural sector in both countries to support Indonesia’s efforts to strengthen our food security,” said the President in a joint press statement with PM Albanese at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta on Friday (2/6).

He also invited Australia to invest in Indonesia’s critical mineral downstream sector, including the processing of nickel, copper, bauxite, and gold. At the same time, the President also encouraged Indonesian companies to invest in Australia’s critical mineral mining sector.

“Danantara (Daya Anagata Nusantara) is ready to work with its partners in Australia to explore co-investment opportunities and various other forms of partnership,” said the President.

In the areas of education and skilled labor, the two leaders discussed strengthened cooperation through training programs and capacity building for teachers and teaching staff who will be placed in new universities and schools in Indonesia. President Prabowo also expressed his appreciation for Australia’s supports through the Australia Awards Garuda Scholarship program.

In addition, the President proposed expanding mutual recognition agreements for professional certification to open greater opportunities for Indonesian professionals to contribute to the Australian economy. This also addresses the need for skilled labor in Australia.

“Indonesia also has competent human resources who can help meet the need for skilled labor in Australia. Therefore, I propose expanding mutual recognition agreements for professional certification, so that Indonesian professionals can contribute more to the Australian economy,” he said.

In closing, President Prabowo invited PM Albanese to attend the Ocean Impact Summit in Bali this coming June, to promote concrete achievements in maritime cooperation and emphasize the ocean as a shared interest of both countries.

Meanwhile, PM Albanese stated that Australia and Indonesia have agreed to a memorandum of understanding between the Australian Government and Danantara. This agreement aims to enhance cooperation and information exchange between institutions, while also identifying opportunities for increased two-way investment.

“This will help identify opportunities for increased two-way investment between our countries and strengthen our shared security and economic resilience.

Concluding his statement, PM Albanese expressed his appreciation for the discussion and President Prabowo’s hospitality, and expressed his confidence that the Indonesia-Australia relations will be getting stronger. “We will continue to work together as neighbors, and more importantly, as friends, to build a peaceful, stable, and prosperous region,” said PM Albanese. (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat) (JAS/MMB)