I have departed Australia for a series of strategic meetings in the US, UK, Europe and the Middle East.
I will attend the annual Australia-United States Ministerial talks (AUSMIN) in Washington, along with the Minister for Foreign Affairs. AUSMIN brings together the most senior Australian and US defence and foreign policy leaders for a thorough exchange of national objectives and priorities for both countries.
The talks will include discussions on Iraq and Afghanistan, combating global terrorism and preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
I will also visit London for the inaugural Australia-United Kingdom Ministerial meeting (AUKMIN). The AUKMIN dialogue will be a significant opportunity to discuss issues of mutual strategic interest. Both Australia and the UK have a military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, and other issues will include the global campaign against terrorism, counter proliferation, and cooperation on intelligence and security.
I also look forward to meeting with my Ministerial counterparts in France and the Netherlands.
I will sign an Australia-France Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) during a meeting with French Minister for Defence. This will provide the flexibility for Australia and France to pursue further cooperative activities to meet both countries’ strategic needs.
My visit to the Netherlands will be an opportunity to discuss developments in Afghanistan. An Australian Reconstruction Task Force is deployed to Oruzgan Province as an element of the Netherlands Provincial Reconstruction Team. A number of key infrastructure development projects are underway.
I will also attend the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Gulf Dialogue in Bahrain. The Gulf Dialogue will be an important forum to discuss Gulf security issues and conduct a number of strategic bi-lateral meetings.
