- Foreign and Defence Secretaries to host Australian
counterparts for talks in London and Portsmouth
- Annual ‘AUKMIN’ ministerial meeting will cover cooperation on
climate, security and trade
- Security initiatives include joint UK-Australia training
exercises on Salisbury Plain
The fields of Salisbury Plain and historic dockyards of
Portsmouth will be the backdrop to significant talks between the
UK and Australia’s defence and foreign ministers, as both nations
discuss how to intensify efforts to support a free and open
Indo-Pacific.
Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary will host their Australian counterparts, Foreign
Minister Penny Wong and Defence Minister and Deputy Prime
Minister Richard Marles, in London, Salisbury and Portsmouth this
week for the annual UK-Australia ‘AUKMIN’ summit.
Following bilateral talks with their opposite numbers on
Wednesday, the group will visit Salisbury Plain to see Australian
and UK troops training Ukrainian soldiers. The joint programme,
which also involves forces from Canada, Denmark, Finland, Sweden,
Norway, New Zealand, Lithuania, and the Netherlands, is part of
an acceleration of efforts by the UK and allies to ensure Ukraine
wins the war and secures a lasting peace.
On Thursday the group will gather for meetings at the Spinnaker
Tower in Portsmouth to discuss the countries’ long-term
cooperation to promote prosperity in the Indo-Pacific as well as
broader cooperation on climate, security and trade. The UK’s work
with Australia to promote open societies and economic security in
the region is crucial to boosting trade with the Indo-Pacific and
delivering on the Prime Minister’s priority to grow the economy,
creating better-paid jobs and opportunity right across the
country. The Indo-Pacific is set to account for half of global
growth by 2050.
Foreign Secretary said:
“The UK and Australia are the best of mates and for over a
century we have been hard-headed champions of freedom and
democracy.
“In an increasingly volatile world, we are pursuing a
forward-looking agenda with Australia as a trusted partner and
friend. Together we are promoting prosperity and security in the
Indo-Pacific, boosting trade, and pursuing our vital climate
targets.”
The ministers will also look at how the UK and Australia can step
up their commitments to limit global temperature rises to 1.5
degrees, including by transitioning to renewable energy,
promoting low-emission technologies as part of a joint Clean Tech
partnership the two countries signed in 2021, as well as
supporting island states in the Pacific who are on the front line
of the climate emergency.
More widely, they will take stock of progress on AUKUS – a
defence and security pact between the UK, US, and Australia which
will deliver a nuclear-powered submarine capability to Australia.
They will also continue discussions on the UK's accession to the
Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific
Partnership (CPTPP), a £9 trillion free trade bloc, and progress
towards the UK ratifying the bilateral free trade agreement with
Australia, expected to come into force in spring this year.
The iconic venue for talks in the historic naval town reflects
the two nations’ shared seafaring heritage. The summit also
affirms the UK’s ongoing commitment to Australia and the
Indo-Pacific region, and follows a busy 18 months of UK
engagement in the region, including the visit of the Carrier
Strike Group, the AUKUS agreement, our Prime Ministers meeting at
the G20 in Bali, and Indo-Pacific Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan’s
visit to Australia at the end of last year.
ENDS
Notes to editors
- On Wednesday the FCDO will issue a readout of the Foreign
Secretary’s meeting with Foreign Minister Wong. Official and
pooled stills and video will be available.
- On Thursday, Pooled images and video of talks in Portsmouth
will be available.
- The Portsmouth talks will conclude with a joint press
conference at the Spinnaker Tower at 15:00 GMT.
- A joint statement will be published on GOV.UK shortly after
the event concludes.
