Indonesian Foreign Minister Meets Australian Counterpart to Discuss Regional Situation and Bilateral Cooperation

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Indonesian Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir met with Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong at the Pancasila Building, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jakarta, on Thursday (22/10/2026).

Arrmanatha stated that the meeting addressed the situation in Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean.

“We discussed how we can contribute to enhancing regional resilience through various mechanisms, whether in ASEAN, and I also mentioned that aside from ASEAN, we are both members of IORA (Indian Ocean Rim Association) and PIF (Pacific Islands Forum). So we exchanged ideas on various matters like that,” he said after the meeting.

He noted that during the meeting, he also expressed Indonesia's desire to be a good neighbor to all regional countries, including Australia.

“As a new Foreign Minister, I will continue to uphold this and will further strengthen the relations between our two countries,” he added.

Arrmanatha also mentioned that the meeting covered various bilateral cooperation efforts, one of which is improving communication at the level of heads of state and ministers.

Additionally, the Foreign Minister stated that the meeting did not discuss the issue of forest and land fires (Karhutla) still occurring in Indonesia.

Nevertheless, he mentioned that Australia is ready to assist Indonesia if needed in handling the smoke from the Karhutla.

“We did not discuss detailed matters like that today. But it was emphasized that for any issues faced by Indonesia that require assistance, they will be ready to listen,” he said.