Australia Committed to Working More with ASEAN

Australian Prime Minister H.E. Anthony Albanese on Mar. 6 reaffirmed Australia's commitment to further work with ASEAN. 'Australia is fully committed to cooperating with you within the framework of ASEAN and through crucial bodies like the East Asia Summit and APEC. I hope you leave Australia with a deeper understanding of Australia's commitment to our region and our optimism for its future,' according to H.E. Anthony Albanese's speech released after co-chairing the Plenary Session of the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of ASEAN-Australia Dialogue Relations. 'Our understanding that more than any other part of the world - South East Asia is where Australia's destiny lies. This is why we will continue to support your ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific and ensure the stability and peace of our region,' he underlined. H.E. Anthony Albanese said today's summit has four key themes which will shape the ASEAN-Australia partnership for the future: trade and investment, climate and clean energy transition, maritime cooperation, and emerging leadership. These four themes are also reflected throughout the Melbourne Declaration which we will be adopting later today, he added. 'This is the breadth of the agenda. The shared prosperity Australia and ASEAN can achieve through closer trade and investment; the shared opportunity we have to act on climate and embrace clean energy, the shared responsibility we have to deepen our maritime cooperation and our shared faith in our emerging leaders.' 'And the engagement we have had, leading into this Summit, across these four themes - from business, academia, civil society and government - show how much potential there is for even stronger partnership between Australia and ASEAN,' said H.E. Anthony Albanese. Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse