Indonesia has told Australia it won’t allow Russia to use a military base in its province of Papua.
A report from an independent military intelligence company earlier this week claimed Russia wanted to set up an aircraft base around 1,380km north-east of Darwin.
It sparked a national security debate in the middle of the federal election campaign.
Here’s what you need to know.
Reports
On Monday, military intelligence company Janes posted an article claiming Russian authorities had asked Indonesia about the use of a military air base in the province of Papua.
The Manuhua Air Force Base is currently home to Indonesian surveillance aircraft and links up to an international airport runway.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has forged closer ties with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin recently, meeting him at the Kremlin in July and conducting joint military drills with Russia in November.
Response
When asked about the reports on Tuesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said senior officials were seeking “further clarification” with Indonesia.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton told the ABC that afternoon he wanted Labor to explain “exactly what’s taken place”.
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He cited unconfirmed reports of conversations taking place between Indonesia and Russia, and claimed there had been a statement from the “Prabowo administration”.
Rejection
Defence Minister Richard Marles spoke with his counterpart in Indonesia on Tuesday, telling the ABC the report was “incorrect”.
Indonesian officials have since confirmed Russia would not be allowed to set up a military base in Papua. However, Marles did not confirm whether Russia made a request to Indonesia.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov did not acknowledge the reports directly, telling reporters: “There are a lot of different pieces of fake news around”.
Today
Senior Labor politicians have since criticised Dutton over his remarks about the Indonesian Government.
Penny Wong told the ABC that Dutton “fabricated a statement by the Indonesian President”.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called Dutton “reckless,” accusing him of “dialling [tensions] up to 11”.
Dutton said he was citing a “credible military website,” and was concerned about Russia’s growing ties in the Pacific region.
