Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I am very pleased that Ambassador Najib is back in Australia. I am obviously very pleased that I will be meeting with President Yudhoyono tomorrow, because it is important that the relationship between Australia and Indonesia continues to improve. This is a very important relationship; in some respects, our most important relationship. I am determined to do everything I can to improve the relationship. I am particularly keen to ensure that the relationship improves while President Yudhoyono is in office, because, not only has he been a great president of his country, he has also been a very good friend to Australia.

As the member opposite should know, these international agreements sometimes take a little while to negotiate. There were free trade agreements that members opposite tried to negotiate; they took years and years and years. It has taken a little while to negotiate. The Indonesians took some time to give us their draft, and we are now working on their draft. I am confident that, when the foreign ministers and the defence ministers sit down for the two-plus-two dialogue in a few weeks' time, that would be a very good time to finalise this code of conduct.

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