Albanese’s near-miss but more hazards lie ahead

The Prime Minister narrowly avoided a collision with his own motorcade at the Brandenburg Gate, but his trip to the NATO summit poses an even bigger threat.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese nearly struck by his own motorcade escorting him to the airport en route to Lithuania for the 2023 NATO summit. Picture: Jacquelin Magnay

Anthony Albanese was lucky to avoid a nasty collision with his own security motorcade outside of the Brandenburg Gate on Tuesday.

The Prime Minister was crossing the cobbled area outside of Berlin’s most famous landmark at 6am local time when his motorcade moved to get into position to prepare for a quick exit to the airport to get to the Australian delegation to the NATO Summit in Lithuania.

“I was about to be the first Prime Minister to be taken out by his own motorcade,’’Mr Albanese said with a smile.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attend a joint press conference in Berlin.

Mr Albanese is to attend the two day summit in Vilnius meeting with a range of world leaders on the sidelines of the NATO summit, including French president Emmanuel Macron, and the issue of the Australia-EU free trade deal will be top of the agenda. France is one of several European countries protecting its own farming interests which is blocking any agreement from making progress. He aid Australia was not asking for anything that hadn’t been given to other countries in other free trade deals.

Mr Albanese said: “My message to President Macron will be we want to conclude this agreement but we won’t be signing up to things not in Australia’s national interest. In particular we want access to European markets and we want to have the mutual benefit of free trade between Australia and Europe.

“France of course has raised some issues but I am confident they can be worked through and I will be having open and constructive discussion with President Macron. We are not asking for anything other countries have not received. It is important australia get access to those markets.

Mr Albanese also indicated that the deployment of Australia’s highly sophisticated surveillance plane, the Wedgetail, for the use of NATO forces in protecting the supply of weaponry into Ukraine was a result of a request from the United States.

He said the deployment of the aircraft and 100 military personnel, who will be passed at the NATO Allied Air command at Ramstein air base in Germany, was for six months because “that’s what was asked for’’.

He said: “deployments of course are usually time limited before there are rotations, we’ve been asked as part of the effort by Ukraine, our friends in NATO, including in particular the United States for this.”

Mr Albanese was pleased that Sydney man Chau Van Khan, head in Vietnam on national security charges since 2019, had been freed from a Vietnam prison after months of careful advocacy.

“Australia very much welcomes the release of Chau Van Khan, this I raised in visit to Vietnam, I thank our friends in Vietnam for listening and agreeing during my visit there. I was very pleased Mr Bowen was able to represent me and welcome Chau Van Khan back to Australia.”