Australian senator Penny Wong will visit Southeast Asia this week to promote our shared interests in a secure, peaceful, and prosperous region and to deepen Australia’s ties with Laos and the Philippines.
Australia values its relationship with Laos, and in November 2022, our Prime Ministers announced their determination to upgrade it to a Comprehensive Partnership. For the past 70 years, Australia have developed a friendship based on enduring growth, collaboration and relationships between people.
I’ll have meetings with Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, the Deputy Prime Minister along with the Chairman of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party’s External Relations Committee Thongsavanh Phomvihane while I’m in Laos.
The Laos-Australia Sustainable Energy Partnership is something I’m looking forward to signing, and I also want to look on how can Australia deepen and broaden our collaboration as part of a Comprehensive Partnership.
Australia and the Philippines have had diplomatic ties for 77 years, making them longtime allies. We have close contacts in security and defence, maritime cooperation, development cooperation, and interpersonal relationships.
Building on an agreement between President Marcos and Prime Minister Albanese to transform the Philippines-Australia bilateral relationship into a Strategic Partnership, I will meet President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in the Philippines.
Along with Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo, Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez, and National Security Advisor Eduardo Ao, I will also meet with them.
The Albanese government is dedicated to fostering closer ties and mutual understanding between Southeast Asia and Australia. More than $55 million was allocated in the 2023–24 budget to deepen our involvement. These investments will support the government’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy, which will be unveiled later this year.
As a clear indication of our intentions and goals in the region, I will have visited every nation in the area as Foreign Minister after this trip, except Myanmar.
