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Defence Minister Linda Reynolds has announced plans for official visits to Thailand as part of the sixth ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) and Japan for bilateral defence discussions and defence industry engagement.
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From 17-19 November, Minister Reynolds will join 18 south-east Asian and Indo-Pacific counterparts in Bangkok for the premier forum for engagement between regional defence ministers.
"ASEAN is at the heart of regional security, and attending dialogues like this demonstrates Australia’s support for ASEAN’s regional leadership," Minister Reynolds said.
ADMM-Plus is an opportunity to hear the perspectives of ASEAN and wider Indo-Pacific states, and to work together to help shape responses to shared security challenges.
Minister Reynolds added, "Meetings like ADMM-Plus allow Australia to reiterate its standing as a reliable regional partner – one that is invested in ongoing regional stability, supports the sovereignty and resilience of regional countries, and promotes shared rules, norms and institutions."
ADMM-Plus membership consists of the 10 ASEAN states and eight ‘Plus’ nations: Australia, China, Japan, India, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russian Federation and the US.
From 20-22 November, Minister Reynolds will travel to Tokyo to meet with Japanese Defense Minister Tarō Kōno and senior Ministry of Defense and Japan Self-Defense Forces officials.
Minister Reynolds expanded on the importance of the Australia-Japan strategic relationship, saying, "Australia’s defence relationship with Japan has never been stronger. This year we held our first ever bilateral fighter jet exercise in Japan and sent a number of Royal Australian Navy ships to Japan for joint training.
"I am looking forward to working with Minister Kōno to identify new ways to strengthen defence engagement, and to further improve interoperability between our defence forces," Minister Reynolds added.
While in Japan, Minister Reynolds, along with 22 Australian defence industry companies, will also attend Australia’s first Defence Trade Mission to Japan.
