Sydney (Australia), 29 Jan. Defense Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong of Australia announced on Sunday a tour of France and Britain starting Monday with the aim of deepening security ties between their nations in the strategic Indus region.

The trip will take place between 30 January and 2 February, when ministers will participate in the Australian-French Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense Consultations, in Paris, and the Australian-British Ministerial Consultations, in London and Portsmouth. joint statement issued today by the two Australian portfolios.

In France, Marles and Wong will hold talks with their respective counterparts, Sébastien Lecornu and Catherine Colonna, to align “French and Australian responses to the increasingly challenging strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific and Europe.”

“Ministers will advance work on a bilateral roadmap to strengthen collaboration in defense and security; resilience and climate action, and education and culture,” the note said.

Meanwhile in the UK, talks will focus on modernizing bilateral relations, cooperation against climate change, developing economic resilience and world peace and security.

In recent months, Australia has stepped up its security and defense efforts amid fears of China’s growing influence in the strategic Pacific region, especially following the signing, in April 2022, of an agreement between the Asian giant and the Solomon Islands, which opened the door for Chinese security forces to be sent upon request. Honiara.

“Deepening practical cooperation with France in the Indo-Pacific, reflecting our partners’ priorities, is critical to our vision of regional stability,” Wong said of the visit.

Meanwhile, Marles assured that “in an increasingly challenging strategic environment”, Australia’s “long-standing defense relationship with France and the United Kingdom is critical to enhancing stability, protecting the rules-based order and avoiding further conflict.”

The tour will also discuss the trilateral agreement AUKUS (Australia, UK and US), which strengthens cooperation on the development and application of advanced defense-oriented technologies – such as artificial intelligence, submarine systems and remote surveillance – and seeks to counter China in the face of increased military activity in the Indo-Pacific.

Following the conclusion of meetings in France and the UK, the Australian Foreign Minister will also visit Belgium, where he will meet in Brussels with the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell.

And Australia’s Defense Minister will travel to the United States to meet his counterpart, Defense Minister Lloyd J. Austin III. EFE

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