Australia ‘not afraid’ to stand up to threats: PM Anthony Albanese’s message to NATO
Again condemning Russia, Anthony Albanese vows Australia will work with ‘trusted friends’ to oppose threats to freedom and sovereignty.
Anthony Albanese will tell NATO leaders that his government is “not afraid to stand up” against threats to peace and freedom, whether they are in Europe or the Indo-Pacific.
The Prime Minister, in Madrid for the largest NATO meeting ever held, will say Australia shares a common purpose with the European security alliance, condemning Russia’s “brutal, illegal and unjustified invasion of Ukraine by Russia”, and vowing to work with “trusted friends” to oppose threats to freedom and sovereignty.
As the 30-member NATO alliance prepares to release a new strategic roadmap that will for the first time consider the threat posed by China, Mr Albanese will draw parallels with Ukraine, Ukrainian conflict and rising threats in the Indo-Pacific.
“By supporting peace and sovereignty in Europe, we are underscoring our iron-clad commitment to these norms in our own region, the Indo-Pacific,” he will tell NATO leaders.
‘You will see our resolve’
“We recognise there is strategic competition in our region, and Australia is not afraid stand up with all the countries of our region for an open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
“Under my government, it will be through Australia’s actions that you will see our resolve.”
NATO’s new ten-year “Strategic Concept” will declare Russia as “the principal threat to the security of the Atlantic Alliance. China is set to be framed as a “systemic challenge” for the alliance.
Mr Albanese said Australia was committed to working through “agile and flexible groupings”, such as NATO, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, and the Pacific Island Forum, “to address the significant challenges that we all face in an increasingly contested world”.
Gala dinner
He and partner Jodie Heydon attended an official gala dinner to open the NATO summit on Tuesday night local time.
On Wednesday, Mr Albanese will meet on the sidelines of the summit with British counterpart Boris Johnson, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, German Chancellor Olaf Schulz, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
He will also meet the other members of the so-called “Asia Pacific Four” who are attending the summit – New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol.
Earlier, he had a one-on-one meeting with President Suk-yeol, discussing “common approaches to strategic issues in the Indo-Pacific”, and bilateral priorities including trade and investment, tourism, and energy co-operation.
As NATO leaders gather in Madrid, Turkey has lifted its block on Finland and Sweden’s prospective membership of the grouping, further strengthening the alliance as it faces its greatest threat since its creation after the Second World War.
The three countries signed a memorandum of understanding in Madrid ahead of the formal NATO summit.
NATO’s secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, also revealed the alliance would increase the size of its rapid reaction force from about 40,000 to 300,000 troops. He said the allies would also discuss how to deal with Russia and China in NATO’s “southern neighbourhood.”
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