Yohanes Kristiarto Soeryo Legowo, a seasoned diplomat and Republic of Indonesia Ambassador in Australia is optimistic that close friends and close neighbours Indonesia and Australia soon will become close business partners as Economic, Trade, and Investment Ministers of both nations will hold their crucial meeting later this year.
“Enhancing economic and development partnership becomes the first pillar of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP). Our relations are thriving, but economic ties lag behind and CSP can change that”, Ambassador Legowo told Vibe Media in an exclusive interview.
Indonesia and Australia have been close neighbours and good friends for over 70 years. Particularly, over the past few years witnessed this friendship grown into a stronger partnership in all aspects of bilateral relations.
Ambassador Legowo highlighted that due to the proximity of their territory and common borders, a plethora of existing cooperation mechanisms is firmly institutionalised comprises of Annual Leaders’ Meeting, 2+2 (foreign and defence ministers) meeting and the Ministerial Council on Law and Security. At the senior officials’ level, we have among others the Bilateral Consultation on Counter-terrorism, Indonesia-Australia Bilateral Consular Consultation and Indonesia-Australia Cyber Policy Dialogue.
Ambassador Kristiarto Legowo disclosed that Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement IA-CEPA is one of Indonesia’s most comprehensive, relevant, and up-to-date FTAs with a partner country. Indonesian products will be able to enter Australia at 0% tariff, while 99% of Australian products will be able to enter Indonesia at zero percent tariff. Australian investments in priority sectors such as health, education, renewable energy, and tourism sector, will be able to own majority ownership of up to 67%.
“Indonesian government is taking measures to ensure ease of doing business in Indonesia. With these measures, processes and requirements for obtaining business permits will be simplified and centralized. Regulations and policies related to investment are being streamlined”, he elaborated.
While referring the agreed Road-map for the Implementation of IA-CEPA, he said it had set out plans for an Australian trade and investment mission visiting Indonesia, led by the Australian Minister for Trade, Investment, and Tourism; CEO Round-table; and the finalization of a Blueprint for Deepening Australian Trade and Investment in Indonesia, which will assist Australian businesses in entering the Indonesian market. Whilst this Road-map has been delayed due to the pandemic, but both countries are hard at work to make these commitments a reality as we begin to emerge from the pandemic.
Australia is Indonesia’s 12th biggest trading partner with a total value in two-way trade of USD 7.15 billion (2020). But after IA-CEPA, Australia is one of the few Indonesian export destination countries having experienced a trend of growth for non-oil and gas export, approximately 14% in 2020. Comparing trade for January-April between 2021 and 2020, there was an increase of two-way trade amounting to 56%, indicating that Indonesia is moving towards stronger trade relations with Australia.
Giving details of IA-CEPA’s impact on business-to-business relations, Indonesian Ambassador said we have seen growing confidence of Australian businesses to enhance cooperation with their counterparts in Indonesia during the global pandemic. Some Australian business initiatives have shown great interest and engagement with Indonesia, particularly in critical and crucial sectors such as health, education, and energy.
a. Aspen Medical has signed a Shareholder Agreement with PT. Jasa Sarana in November last year to build hundreds of hospitals and clinics in West Java.
b. Serco Asia Pacific Australia has signed a Letter of Intent with companies from East Java province to build international hospital in Tuban, East Java.
c. Monash University has invested to open a full-fledged university in Indonesia, on track to open this October.
d. ANU has plans to open a research centre.
e. Central Queensland University (CQU) is opening a representative office in Indonesia.
f. Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) has invested in the building of a hydro power plant with a capacity of 10.000 megawatts and a geothermal power plant with a capacity of 25 gigawatts in Kalimantan and Papua.
On challenges to bilateral ties, Indonesian Ambassador was of the view that Covid-19 pandemic has effectively put the mechanisms of cooperation to an effective standstill. While some of these mechanisms have transformed into a virtual set up, others do not have such a luxury. Efforts to combat the pandemic, particularly at the regional level, have become the priority for Indonesia and Australia to ensure things can quickly evolve into the”new normal”.
Under the Australia-Indonesia Health Security Partnership (AIHSP) both countries have collaborated to respond COVID-19 and worked for the post COVID recovery, including cooperation on health information management system, laboratory capabilities and cross-sectoral collaboration. Both countries have committed to ensuring access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines for Southeast Asia region and beyond.
Terming Indonesia-Australia strong defence and security ties key to regional peace and stability, he credited the bilateral security cooperation which is based on the principles of mutual respect and mutual support for sovereignty, unity, independence, and territorial integrity.
Australia and the Republic of Indonesia signed the Framework for Security Cooperation/Lombok Treaty on 13 November 2006 which provides the basis of Indonesia-Australia strategic security cooperation, particularly in 10 areas, namely: defence; law enforcement; counter-terrorism; intelligence; maritime security; aviation safety and security; proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; handling of emergencies; handling security issues in international organizations; increasing contact between the people of the two countries.
“Mutual respect and support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, national unity and independence of the two countries, non interfere in each other’s domestic affairs and not to support or participate in activities that threaten stability, sovereignty or territorial integrity, including separatism are hallmark of Lombok Treaty”, he added.
Indonesia and Australia also share close defence ties, with many military personnel from both countries regularly attending each other’s training and education programs. Within the mechanism of the Indonesia-Australia Defence Ministers’ Meeting (MCM), Indonesia and Australia have agreed among others to: enhance cooperation in the maritime security sector, cyber security, exploring cooperation within the framework of the “Our Eyes” program, and developing the concept of the Indo-Pacific Architecture, particularly within the frameworks of Indonesia-Australia-India and Indonesia-Australia-United States.
Indonesia and Australia have close cooperation to tackle the menace of terrorism and violent extremism. One of the tangible forms of cooperation in this field is the establishment and operation of the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation (JCLEC).
Before the pandemic hit, there was also a “High-Level Visit” by Indonesian Counter Terrorism Delegation on Australian Models for Counter Terrorism Coordination in Managing Terrorist Cases and Crisis Situations to Melbourne and Canberra on 1-4 July 2019.
Ambassador Legowo named number of initiatives currently being taken up by Indonesia and Australia in the field of counter-terrorism including:
• Increase collaboration between the two countries in handling Foreign Terrorist (FT) returnees, including women and children associated with Foreign Terrorist Fighter (FTF).
• Increased understanding of Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) interventions, especially for children who are at risk or associated with violent extremist groups through interventions in the education sector.
• Strengthening of the national mechanism in countering terrorism through the Indonesia’s Counter-Terrorism National Agency “centre of analysis” to be able to provide a reliable and measurable analysis of the development of terrorism over a certain period of time so that law enforcement, intelligence and security officers can act in accordance with the results of the analysis.
Ambassador Kristiarto Legowo is also playing active role as the Chairman of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Heads of Mission in Canberra. OIC HOM Group in Canberra is the largest diplomatic Group in Canberra with a membership of 26 diplomatic missions. The Group was established in 2015 with the aim to enhance understanding of Islam within the wider Australian society as well as to strengthen the cooperation between the OIC member states and Australia.
“Despite the difficulties we all experienced during the global pandemic, the Group has managed to hold several activities in 2020, such as Special Meetings regarding the situation in Palestine, with a Deputy Secretary of DFAT, and Senator Penny Wong, a successful OIC Day Reception on the 7th of October 2020, “Run for Palestine” on 29th of November 2020 as well as several Steering Groups Meetings, Working Group Meetings, and informal gatherings. The Group has also sent an Aide-Memoire to Australian Government and Parliament last year as well as Joint Press Releases on the recent Israeli aggression in Palestine”, he narrated.
Ambassador concluded that the Group shared Australia’s views to always promote peace, security and stability of the world in concordance with the aspiration of the Islamic world to promote Islam as a Rahmatan Lil ‘Alamin [Blessing for the Universe].
