Indonesian special forces (Kopassus) soldiers (Photo: AP) Sydney (VND) — Australia is seeking to calm tensions with Indonesia after Jakarta suspended military ties with Canberra because of "insulting" teaching materials found at an Australian base.
Australian Defense Minister Marise Payne on January 5 expressed regrets about the incident and said that a thorough investigation of the row was nearly complete.
A day earlier, Indonesia announced it had suspended defence cooperation with Australia after an Indonesian military officer who was attending a training class in the west Australian city of Perth discovered that its teaching materials offend the Indonesian armed force and solidarity among its people.
Indonesian military spokesman Maj. Gen. Wuryanto said the training materials were among many factors behind the decision to suspend cooperation with Australia.
Minister Payne said the current issue began in November, after an Indonesian military officer raised concerns about some teaching materials at the base.
Payne said an inquiry was launched to look into the incident, and its results would be reported to the Indonesian Government and army. The training materials in question had been removed, and would soon be replaced with "appropriate" materials, she added.
Meanwhile, Indonesian President Joko Widodo told reporters in Jakarta on January 5 that his country's relationship with Australia remained good, adding that the issue should be cleared up so that the situation would not be “hotter”.-VNA
VNA
