Indonesia Signs MoU on Strengthening Cooperation on Transport Security with Australia

Jakarta, InfoPublik – Indonesia’s Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, on Sunday (02/09/2020), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Australian Government on transport security cooperation. The MoU was signed in Canberra, Australia, at the Indonesia-Australia Annual Leaders Meeting attended by Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

The cooperation includes security aspects in the field of air and sea transportation encompassing the formulation of regulations, fulfillment of transportation security obligations in accordance with ICAO and IMO standards, improvement of transportation security implementation at airports and ports, coordination of national transportation policies, and training and development of human resources in transportation, and Cyber Security.

Indonesia has already have cooperation with Australia. However, it did not include the security aspects. Therefore, it is necessary to establish the MoU on Transport Security Cooperation between the Indonesian Ministry of Transportation and the Australian Department of Home Affairs, as the legal umbrella.

The MoU signed by Transport Minister has been discussed since mid-2018 with a focus on cooperation in the field of air and sea transportation security, in accordance with the ICAO and IMO provisions and conventions. It aims to oversee Indonesia-Australia cooperation in the field of transportation security, particularly at international airports and ports in both countries.

The MoU was finalized at the first meeting of the Australia-Indonesia Transport Security Forum which took place on 17-18 October 2019 in Canberra, Australia. The meeting was chaired by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Transportation and the Deputy Secretary and Resilience Group, Department of Home Affairs Australia.

The meeting discussed, among others: Priority policies related to transportation security at international airports and ports in Indonesia and Australia; transportation in the Australian region including strategic priorities and analysis of threats and risks for Indonesia and Australia; and the implementation of Amendments to ICAO'S Annex 17 on cyber security, explosive detection and landside security; discussion on increasing capacity building for employees of the Ministry of Transportation related to international airport and port security; Also, a discussion on maritime security improvement related to security screener accreditation, training, oversight; and Discussion related to the involvement of the Ministry of Transportation in handling potential crime in transportation at the airports and international ports of each country.(Translator: Penni P. Rusman)