Yvette Tanamal, Jakarta – The Foreign Ministry has asserted that all cooperation with foreign powers, including the United States, will strictly uphold national sovereignty, following reports of the ministry's competing views with the Defense Ministry over a proposed overflight access agreement with Washington.
Noting that communication between ministries is a standard procedure in policymaking, the Foreign Ministry said considerations over clear mechanisms and procedures for the potential arrangement were still ongoing across government bodies, with the current geopolitical landscape part of the government's deliberations.
"On the issue of overflight, regulatory mechanisms are still being carefully reviewed, with national interests, Indonesia's airspace sovereignty and the principles of its free and active foreign policy serving as primary foundations," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang said in a statement on Wednesday.
"All input and views exchanged among agencies are a normal part of the national process. Any proposals still under discussion will be handled carefully and methodically," she went on to say.
Scrutiny has intensified over the past week on Indonesia's relations with the US following reports of a potential arrangement to grant Washington blanket overflight access to Indonesian airspace, a scheme that sparked concerns over Jakarta's sovereignty.
The US demand, as reported by India-based media outlet The Sunday Guardian, would grant American aircraft broad, precleared access under a notification system, allowing transit with prior notification for contingency operations, crisis-response missions and mutually approved military exercises.
The system would replace the existing case-by-case clearance scheme and is deemed to significantly reduce constraints on US military mobility in the region. Under the mechanism, a direct hotline between US Pacific Air Forces and the Indonesian air operation centers would be established alongside parallel diplomatic and military communications channels.
Strategic rift
Previously, reports emerged on Tuesday that the Foreign Ministry had raised early objections against the plan in a letter to the Defense Ministry.
The letter, marked urgent and confidential, was sent in early April, ahead of Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin's visit to the Pentagon on Monday, amid concerns that the proposal could be included in the newly announced Major Defense Cooperation Partnership (MDCP) between both countries, according to sources familiar with the matter.
In the letter, a copy of which was seen by The Jakarta Post, the Foreign Ministry warned that opening Indonesian airspace to Washington could expose Jakarta to potential retaliation in the event of a wider conflict involving the US and Israel against Iran, citing recent attacks by Tehran on Middle Eastern countries hosting US military assets.
The ministry also warned the plan could heighten tensions in the South China Sea and risk entangling Indonesia more directly in a major power rivalry in the contested waters.
While acknowledging that the decision on the proposal falls within the jurisdiction of the Defense Ministry, which has been leading the negotiations, the diplomatic corps urged further deliberation to ensure clear protocols, including rules governing US aircraft carrying weapons across the archipelago's airspace.
Responding to the reports of tensions between the two ministries, Defense Ministry spokesperson Brig. Gen. Rico Ricardo Sirait echoed Yvonne's sentiment that exchanges between government bodies are "productive and positive".
"The matter remains under the government's internal deliberation and should not be construed as a final decision or established policy," Rico told the Post on Wednesday.
Rico previously said the overflight proposal was not part of the MDCP.
Presidential trips
The overflight brouhaha unfolded as President Prabowo Subianto was on an overseas trip to Europe.
On Tuesday local time, Prabowo met with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in Paris to talk about strengthening strategic security cooperation between the two countries, which include the topic of arms procurement.
Other items discussed during the meeting with Macron include the energy transition, infrastructure and education, according to official statements, as Prabowo presented Jakarta's positions on various global issues and emphasized its role in maintaining stability and peace.
The Paris trip followed a visit to Moscow, where the President discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin on long-term cooperation in energy and mineral resources, amid constraints along the vital Strait of Hormuz triggered by the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Indonesia has been scrambling to find alternative supplies of oil and natural gas amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and stepping up diplomatic efforts to secure key commodities, with Prabowo having visited four countries since US and Israeli forces launched strikes against Iran in late February.
Prabowo has defended his extensive international travels by saying that they were necessary to secure Indonesia's energy supplies.
Source: https://asianews.network/proposal-of-us-overflight-in-indonesian-airspace-sparks-ministerial-rift