Canberra – Indonesian Minister of Defense and President-elect, Prabowo Subianto, disclosed that Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was among the first global leaders to congratulate him on his victory in the 2024 presidential election.

This was revealed in a press statement by Prabowo after a meeting with Albanese and the Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Richard Marles MP, in Canberra, Australia, on Tuesday (20/8).

“I remember, Prime Minister Albanese was the first world leader to congratulate me via a telephone call. He called me one day after the general election in Indonesia, which was held on February 14. PM called me on February 15,” Prabowo explained.

He appreciated the congratulations from Albanese and noted that it signifies the friendship and good relations between them.

During the same occasion, Prabowo also expressed Indonesia’s commitment to fostering good diplomatic relations and cooperation with Australia, particularly in the defense sector.

“As previously mentioned by the Prime Minister, we (Indonesia-Australia) have made good progress regarding defense agreements. We have completed a number of legal details, which I think are very beneficial,” Prabowo detailed.

The press conference also mentioned that Indonesia and Australia plan to sign a defense cooperation agreement in the near future.“Prime Minister, I look forward to soon hosting your Deputy and (representatives of) your Ministry of Defense in Indonesia to sign the defense cooperation agreement. I believe we have had very important and beneficial discussions for both countries in the future,” Prabowo concluded. (RR)