Jakarta. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese set foot in Jakarta on Thursday evening for the signing of a bilateral security pact.

President Prabowo Subianto is set to host Albanese at the palace the following day. The common security treaty — which Albanese described as a “historic agreement” — will be high up on the agenda.

“The new treaty is a watershed moment in the Australia–Indonesia relationship. It represents a major extension of our security and defense cooperation, and demonstrates that our relationship is as strong as it has ever been,” Albanese said.

The upcoming talks will not only be limited to regional security, but also trade and investment. There is no information so far on whether they would seal other agreements during the trip. It was only back in November 2025 when Prabowo embarked on his maiden state visit to Australia. Prabowo told Albanese at the time that the accord reflected the two neighbors’ intention to “guarantee the security of both countries”.

"When facing an emergency, it is our neighbors who will help us," the ex-army general said.

A string of defense agreements has helped shape Indonesia-Australia ties, including the landmark 1995 Suharto-Keating treaty. Australia’s then-Prime Minister Paul Keating was also known for his approach that “no country is more important than Indonesia”. Albanese, too, admitted that the new security accord was “predominantly based” on this 1995 document. The countries have had security-related agreements in the coming years, with the latest one in 2024 signed by Prabowo himself when he was still the defense minister. The 2024 defense cooperation agreement had paved the way for more complex joint military exercises.

The new security agreement is expected to give rise to regular leaders' level consultations on security matters. They will also team up to undertake mutually beneficial security activities if either or both nations are under threat.

The latest announcement meant that the signing was a few days late, as Albanese had originally planned on visiting Jakarta in January. The Jakarta police were the first to break the news of Albanese’s trip in a road closure announcement on Wednesday.

In May 2025, Albanese picked Indonesia as the first country he visited since winning the election.

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