Jakarta (Indonesia Window) - Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto has highlighted the importance of maritime security cooperation with Australia as a number of illegal actions frequently occur in the  Asia Pacific waters, requiring attention of the two countries.

The statement was delivered by Defense Minister Prabowo when meeting with his counterpart, Australian Defense Minister Linda Reynolds at the Indonesia-Australia Defense Ministers meeting, which is the highest forum to discuss defense cooperation between the two countries.

The bilateral meeting was held before the 6th Indonesia-Australia Foreign and Defense Ministers' 2 + 2 meeting in Nusa Dua, Bali, on Friday, as quoted from the Ministry of Defense website.

According to Defense Minister Prabowo, some of the crimes that often occur in the area are piracy, human trafficking, drug smuggling, and illegal fishing.

Therefore, there is no other choice for Indonesia and Australia than to cooperate in dealing with and resolving such maritime security issues.

The Indonesian Minister of Defense emphasized that the meeting gave a more strategic meaning to the bilateral relations between Indonesia and Australia, particularly in the area of ​​defense cooperation given that the two countries were close neighbors.

For more than half a century, defense cooperation between Indonesia and Australia has been establishing very productive and bringing about benefits for both countries in many ways.

"The development of defense cooperation between Indonesia and Australia has been well established through dialogue forums, as well as education and training programs, joint exercises and visits of officials of both countries," Defense Minister Prabowo said.

Reporting by Indonesia Window