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Agence France-Presse

Australia and Indonesia announced the full restoration of military ties Sunday as the countries’ leaders held talks following a brief spat over teaching material deemed offensive to Jakarta.
Indonesia had reported the suspension of all military cooperation with Australia from December before clarifying that only language training had been put on hold.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said after two hours of talks that he and Indonesian President Joko Widodo had “agreed to the full restoration of defence and training activities”.
On his first visit as head of state to Australia, Widodo told reporters the two neighbours had also agreed to seal a major economic partnership deal.

“We are both committed to concluding a high quality bilateral free trade agreement, the Indonesia-Australia comprehensive economic partnership, by the end of this year,” Turnbull told reporters.
But there were few details on the deal.
Turnbull said both countries encouraged parties in the South China Sea dispute to resolve it in line with international law, presenting a joint face against China’s island-building programme, which the International Court of Justice said could not ground territorial claims.
Indonesia does not have a territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea, but there have been tensions because China’s so-called nine-dash line representing its claim to most of the sea appears to overlap with Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone extending from the Natuna Islands.

Beijing has described the area as a traditional Chinese fishing ground, although it is nearly 2,000 kilometres from the Chinese mainland. There were three known incidents between Chinese fishing vessels and Indonesian government ships last year.
What a military spat reveals about Australia’s ties with Indonesia
Turnbull took the unusual step of inviting Jokowi to a private dinner at his Sydney Harbour-side mansion on Saturday as a gesture of the close ties between Indonesia’s 250 million people and Australia’s population of 24 million.
Ties between the neighbours have often been rocky with Jakarta’s execution of Australian drug smugglers and Canberra’s policy of turning migrant boats back to Indonesia, but they improved after Turnbull took office in 2015.

The military row between the neighbours erupted after a visiting Indonesian officer raised concerns about the material at a special forces facility in Perth.
Indonesia’s military chief General Gatot Nurmantyo said it involved “unethical stuff” which “discredits Indonesia and its military, even the nation’s ideology”.
He said it concerned East Timor - which seceded from Indonesia after a bloody occupation - and the nation’s founding philosophy “Pancasila”, all deeply sensitive topics in Jakarta.
But leaders of both Australia and Indonesia publicly insisted ties were strong before Security Minister Wiranto clarified last month that the military had temporarily suspended cooperation only in language training.
Indonesian and Australian forces cooperate on a range of issues from border protection to counterterrorism.
On the economic front, Widodo called for the elimination of trade barriers on exports of Indonesian palm oil and paper to Australia, a key ally whose relationship with Jakarta has been repeatedly strained in recent years.
The leaders also announced that an Australian consulate will open in the Indonesian city of Surabaya and Indonesian language teaching centres in the Australian cities of Sydney, Brisbane and Darwin.
Additional reporting by Associated Press and The Guardian


Australia-Indonesia restore full military ties after row over special forces training material

Indonesian President Joko Widodo, right, bows as he inspects a guard during a ceremonial welcome at Admiralty House in Sydney. Photo: AFP

Indonesia President Joko Widodo (L) gestures as he walks with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in Sydney on February 26, 2017. Widodo during his two-day official visit discussed bilateral and international issues with Australian high officials. / AFP PHOTO / AFP PHOTO AND POOL / DAVID MOIR

Indonesian President Joko Widodo inspects an Australian military honour guard during a ceremonial welcome at Admiralty House in Sydney, Australia, February 26, 2017. REUTERS/Rick Rycroft/Pool

Indonesian President Joko Widodo (L) shakes hands with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull at Admiralty House in Sydney, Australia, February 26, 2017. REUTERS/David Moir/Pool TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

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Indonesian President Joko Widodo is on his first visit to Australia as his nation’s leader
