Indonesia officially downgrades ties with Australia

Indonesia has officially downgraded its relationship with Australia, according to a number of media reports.

Jakarta-based paper Media Indonesia reported that the foreign minister, Marty Natalegawa, said on Tuesday that bilateral relations had been officially downgraded.

“We will continue to downgrade our relationship with Australia,” Natalagewa said. “Downgrading includes reviewing all bilateral co-operation between the two countries – not only information and intelligence exchange. It’s no longer business as usual.

“We will continue to monitor and evaluate further steps in a measured manner.”

AAP quoted Natalegawa as saying on Wednesday that “the downgrading in the level of the Indonesian-Australian relationship has been done.

“We have taken measured steps in accordance with their response and attitude.”

On Tuesday the Indonesian president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, held high-level talks with a number of Indonesian ministers after voicing his outrage on Twitter at the phone-tapping revelations published by Guardian Australia and the ABC. He said he was not happy with the response so far offered from Canberra.

On Wednesday the president summoned the returned Indonesian ambassador to Australia, who arrived in Jakarta on Tuesday, for a palace meeting. Guardian Australia understands that the head of Indonesian intelligence, Marciano Norman, has also been summoned.