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FM Bishop: Australia, Indonesia to Repair Ties


FILE - Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.
FILE - Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.

Australia says it has agreed to repair ties with Indonesia that were damaged last year following accusations of Australian spying.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Tuesday that defense, intelligence and border security cooperation will resume under the terms of a new deal.

Indonesia downgraded its relationship with Australia following reports in November that Canberra tapped the phone lines of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, his wife, and other officials.

Relations have slowly improved since then, but Indonesia has been seeking formal reassurances that Australia will not spy on its leaders.

Bishop said she and Prime Minister Tony Abbott will soon travel to Indonesia to sign a code of conduct, the details of which have not been released.

Even before the scandal, Indonesia-Australia relations were strained over Prime Minister Abbott's policy of turning boats of Australia-bound asylum seekers back to Indonesia.

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