Indonesian Coast Guard, Australia Hold High-Level Meeting

jpnn.com, JAKARTA - The Indonesian Coast Guard (Bakamla) and Australia Border Force (ABF) have held the fourth Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) to strengthen relations between the two countries through cooperation in the field of maritime security and safety.

This was a high-level meeting attended by top leaders from both agencies.

The meeting specifically addresses plans for operational cooperation, capability development and personnel training, information exchange, and other activities to be carried out in 2022.

Head of Bakamla Admiral Aan Kurnia said this year's collaboration had led to the success in organizing the Maritime Security Desktop Exercise (MSDE) on June 15, which involved 35 foreign delegates on a hybrid program.

The MSDE is part of the results of the Head of Asian Coast Guard Agency Meeting (HACGAM) and Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) forums.

In addition, the fifth Gannet Operation was carried out successfully, as supported by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

The Covid-19 pandemic have hampered most of the activities this year, but Bakamla and the ABF are trying to find the best solution to realize their planned collaboration.

"Although we have aldready achieved so much, I'm sure that there is a lot that we can do to enhance this cooperation, especially to maintain maritime security and safety in both countries in the future," Aan said.