A British media outlet, The Independent, reports that Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry has sent a confidential and urgent letter to the Defense Ministry, urging it not to sign a proposed agreement that would grant U.S. military aircraft full access to Indonesian airspace.
According to the report, the Foreign Ministry warned that moving ahead with the deal could pull Indonesia into maritime tensions involving China and raise serious concerns over the country’s national sovereignty.
The United States has reportedly proposed the arrangement in order to secure permission to use Indonesian airspace for military operations.