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Indonesia’s Defense Ministry confirmed Monday that preliminary discussions are underway regarding a proposal to grant U.S. military aircraft access to its airspace.
While the report from Reuters highlights the significance of these talks, Indonesian officials have stressed that no formal agreement has been reached.
The ministry said the two countries are still discussing a “Letter of Intent” and that only a preliminary draft is currently being reviewed internally. It said the draft is neither final nor binding.
The statement came after several media outlets reported Sunday that the U.S. was seeking “blanket overnight access” for American military aircraft through Indonesian airspace and that Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto had approved the proposal.
Responding to the reports, Indonesia’s defense ministry said no final agreement had been concluded.
The ministry said discussions were continuing over the proposed Letter of Intent, but stressed that the document under review remains in draft form and has not been finalized.
It also said control over Indonesian airspace belongs to Indonesia.
In its statement, the ministry said any arrangement with other countries would protect Indonesia’s sovereignty and comply with Indonesian law.
The ministry did not announce any final terms and said the proposal was still being discussed internally.
Its remarks directly addressed reports suggesting approval had already been given, making clear that the process was still under discussion and had not yet produced a binding outcome.
Several media outlets reported Sunday that the U.S. was seeking “blanket overnight access” for American military aircraft through Indonesian airspace.
The same reports said Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto had approved the proposal.
Indonesia’s defense ministry, however, said Monday that the matter remained under discussion and that no deal had yet been reached.
The issue surfaced as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was scheduled to meet later Monday with his Indonesian counterpart, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin.
The planned meeting was listed in an advisory released by the U.S. government.
Indonesia’s statement did not say whether the proposed overflight access would be discussed during the meeting, but the talks came as both sides were still considering the draft Letter of Intent.
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