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No DATE
M/ 151 25 October 1973
AUSTRALIAN-INDONESIAN RELATIONS VISIT
OF THE I'NDONSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, MR ADAM MALIK,
AND OFFICIAL CONSULTATIONS
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Whitlam,
announced today before his departure for visits to Japan
and China that the Indonesian Foreign Minister, Mr Adam Malik,
will visit Australia from 6-10 November as a guest of the
Australian Government. Mr Malik will be accompanied by
O Mrs Malik. Mr Whitlam said that Mr Malik's visit will be
his fourth to Australia. He visited here in December 1967,
as leader of the Indonesian delegation to the memorial
service in Melbourne for the late Prime Minister, Mr Harold
Holt; in April 1968, to lead the Indonesian delegation
to the 24th Session of the Economic Commission for Asia and
the Far East ( ECAFE) in Canberra, following which he held
discussions with the Australian Government; and in February
1972, when he accompanied President SLharto on his State
Visit to Australia. Mr Vhitlam said Mr Malik would be a very welcome
visitor. His visit would provide yet another opportunity
to continue the close and constructive dialogue, at a high
level, that had developed between the two countries on matters
of mutual interest. Following his visit to Australia,
Mr Malik will visit Papua New Guinea as a guest of the Papua.
New Guinea Government. / 2
-2-
Mr Malik's visit will, he said, follow the second
in the series of annual consultations between senior
Australian and Indonesian officials on foreign policy matters
of common interest to be held in Canberra on 6-7 November.
11r Whitlan recalled that the first round of annual
talks had been held in Jakarta in Aug,_ ust 1972, as a result
of a decision by the Australian and Indonesian Governments
during President Suharto's visit to Australia in February
1972, that the two countries should keep in close touch
through freqi-ent a: nd frank consultations. The Jakarta talks
had been most successful and officials were looking forward
to a useful exchange of views in the forthcoming discussions
on such matters as developments in the South East Asian
region and Australian-Indonesian bilateral relations.
The Australian delegation would be let by the
Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Sir Keith
Waller, who also led the Australia~ n delegation to
the first round of talks. The Indonesian delegation will be
led by Mr Djajadiningrat, the Director-General of Political
Affairs in the Indonesian Department of Foreign Affairs.