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Defence Minister Linda Reynolds has met with her Indo-Pacific counterparts for the 10th annual ADMM-Plus meeting to reaffirm Australia’s commitment to strengthening regional co-operation.
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Defence ministers from across the Indo-Pacific have met virtually for the tenth annual ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) — which includes the 10 ASEAN nations and eight ‘Plus’ nations: Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the US.
The ministers discussed their shared commitments to fostering a “peaceful, inclusive, sovereign and resilient” Indo-Pacific region.
Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds, who personally attended the meeting for the second time, said ADMM-Plus has helped to shape the government’s response to shared security challenges, which include growing threats to political and economic stability and the COVID-19 crisis.
“It will become even more important as we confront the emerging challenges outlined in the 2020 Defence Strategic Update,” she said.
“COVID-19 has altered the region’s economic and strategic landscape dramatically and accelerated the geostrategic trends that affect Australia’s interests.
“The 2020 Defence Strategic Update reinforced Defence’s focus on our immediate region, including south-east Asia, and the value of working with our partners to shape the future of the region.”
Minister Reynolds also noted Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s recent commitment to investing an additional $104 million for security co-operation programs in south-east Asia at the ASEAN-Australia Leaders’ Summit.
“Since becoming ASEAN’s first dialogue partner in 1974, Australia has deepened its engagement across the board with this important institution,” Minister Reynolds added.
“This meeting demonstrates the growing strength and complexity of our defence engagement. I was pleased with the ADMM-Plus’ ongoing commitment to strengthening regional cooperation and to resolving disputes peacefully, without coercion, and in accordance with international law.”
[Related: Exercise Malabar kicks off in Indo-Pacific]
