Tensions peaked in April when Jakarta put to death two Australian drug traffickers, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, despite repeated appeals from Canberra for mercy.
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Hikmahanto Juwana, a professor of worldwide law from the University of Indonesia, says those three issues are important because Australia and Indonesia are equally interested in building mutual trust.
Next week, Mr Robb, Health Minister Susan Ley, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton and Tourism and global Education Minister will lead a delegation of more than 300 Australia business figures.
Mr Joko thanked Mr Turnbull for Australia’s assistance fighting the forest fires when he arrived in Jakarta on Thursday.
“At the least, Australia wants to remind Indonesia not to get too close to China in terms of economy and politics”, he said, adding that Australia seems to want to convince Indonesia that it could be a strategic partner for Southeast Asia’s most populous country.
Mr Turnbull said they’d received a warm and generous welcome.
Mr Turnbull’s visit was preceded in recent months by those of Justice Minister Michael Keenan, Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce, Trade Minister Andrew Robb and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.
Malcolm Turnbull, who replaced former Prime Minister Tony Abbott following a party vote in September, will also visit Germany, Turkey, the Philippines and Malaysia.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull today made his first visit to Indonesia since taking power, seeking to fix a key relationship strained by repeated crises under his conservative predecessor.
Despite the long-standing ties, under Abbott’s leadership the relationship sank to its worst level since 1999 when Australia sent troops to East Timor as part of an worldwide peacekeeping force to stem bloodshed after the territory voted for independence from Indonesia.
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Australia’s ambassador to Indonesia, Paul Grigson, was recalled for five weeks after the executions.
