On 17-18 March, I will host ASEAN leaders in Australia for the first time at the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in Sydney.
Australia and ASEAN are close strategic and economic partners, and the Special Summit is an opportunity to make our region more secure and more prosperous.
The summit marks a coming of age of Australia’s relationship with South East Asia.
ASEAN is one of Australia’s top three trading partners, and we have strong cooperation on countering security threats facing our region. Nearly one million Australians claim Southeast Asian ancestry.
ASEAN Leaders and I will discuss ways to increase our engagement on education, economic cooperation, countering terrorism and other security challenges.
We will discuss the ongoing threat posed by North Korea and the importance of maintaining pressure through economic sanctions.
The global community, and the peace of our region, requires the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.
There will be two major lead-in events: a Business Summit and a Counter-Terrorism Conference.
The Business Summit will encourage Australian small businesses to take up economic opportunities offered in Southeast Asia, while top Australian and ASEAN CEOs will discuss ways to enhance economic engagement.
The Counter-Terrorism Conference will strengthen regional collaboration between Australia and ASEAN to combat terrorism and violent extremism.
Australia has strong longstanding and close relationships with each ASEAN member state, and I will meet each of my visiting counterparts individually to discuss ways to strengthen these ties.
His Excellency Mr Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister of Vietnam, and Her Excellency Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, State Counsellor of Myanmar will also undertake bilateral visits around the time of the Special Summit as Guests of the Australian Government.
As part of these visits, I look forward to formally elevating the Australia-Vietnam relationship to a Strategic Partnership, and to acknowledging Myanmar’s contribution as Australia’s Country Coordinator in ASEAN since 2015.
I look forward to meeting and working with ASEAN Leaders in Australia for the first time.