Timika, Papua – Four Australian military attaches arrived at the Mimika district town of Timika on Wednesday for a two-day working visit in Indonesia's easternmost province of Papua.

The four Australian military officials led by Colonel Raymond Presson Wednesday met Mimika District Military Commander Lt Col Trie Soeseno and Timika Military Air Base Commander Lt Col Bambang Triono.

On Thursday morning, they would visit PT Freeport Indonesia's gold and cooper mining area at Grasberg in Tembagapura before returning to Jakarta on Friday.

Speaking to Antara News here on Wednesday, Raymond Press said Australia fully supported Indonesian sovereignty in Papua. He said the Indonesian government's policies in Papua such as the granting of special autonomy appeared to be working well.

"Australia really believes the systems being developed by the Indonesian government in Papua such as special autonomy are working well," Raymond Press said.

Commenting on military cooperation, Press said Indonesia and Australia were continuing to maintain security in their territorial air space by increasing joint exercises of their air forces.

He said the two countries' air forces had often conducted joint exercises such as the 'Rajawali Ausindo' recently held in Australia. Besides the Rejawali Ausindo exercise, Indonesia and Australia also conducted joint exercises such as Camar Ausindo and Elang Ausindo and exchanged air force officers.

"Relations between the Indonesian and Australian air forces are very good, and we will continue to improve exchange of information in an effort to make the ties even better in the future," Press said.

Meanwhile, Timika Military Air Base Commander Lt Col Bambang Triono said he was delighted by the visit of the Australian defense attaches.

"I must say, their visit is a great honor to us for in fact the Timika military air base is a strategic place to maintain our air space security," Triono said.

He added that as close neighbors Indonesia and Australia should be more open for good cooperation in the transfer of technology, exchange of information, and knowledge on aerospace affairs.