One of the biggest defence export transactions in Australian history, he added, will be the delivery to Germany of 100 Boxer heavy armament carriers produced in Brisbane.
Prior to meetings at a Nato summit, the prime minister has arrived in Europe and announced a deal worth more than $1 billion to sell Germany armored vehicles built in Australia.
Prior to a Monday meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Anthony Albanese arrived in Berlin on Sunday evening, German time.
On his arrival, Albanese told reporters, “This will improve our ability to defend ourselves and strengthen our economy – this is a great outcome.”
And it’s the first of several results that we have planned to share with our German friends tomorrow.
According to Albanese, the sale of the vehicles, which were produced by the German defense company Rheinmetall, would bring in more than $1 billion for the Australian economy.
Before heading to the Nato summit in the capital of Lithuania, Vilnius, the prime minister will have a private discussion with Scholz.
The conversation with the German leader is anticipated to focus on manufacturing, sustainable energy, Indo-Pacific security, and the conflict in Ukraine.
The debates come after 500 days have passed since Russia invaded Ukraine.
The federal government has disclosed a $110 million aid plan for Ukraine.
The military aid had drawn criticism for not being sufficient, but the education minister, Jason Clare, hinted on Sunday that additional funding might be on the way.
Except for Sweden, which is set to join Nato, we are currently the largest non-Nato investor or supporter of the operation in Ukraine, he said in an interview with Sky News on Sunday.
I won’t predict what the prime minister will say because the meeting is crucial.
During his three-day trip to Europe, Albanese will meet with Chris Hipkins, the prime minister of New Zealand. The leaders of Japan and South Korea, who have also been invited to the NATO meeting, will also be introduced to him.
The so-called “Indo-Pacific four” leaders will talk about the conflict in Ukraine and the region’s place in Europe.
The opening of a liaison office in Tokyo is one of several initiatives being undertaken by NATO officials to fortify connections in the area.
However, Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, has rejected the plans and spoken out against the idea.
“The Europeans have been fighting each other for the better part of 300 years, including giving the rest of us two world wars in the last hundred,” he declared. “Importing that evil poison to Asia would be like to Asia embracing the disease.
“That promise would be compromised by having anything to do with the militarism of Europe – and militarism encouraged by the United States,” the author writes, “with all of Asia’s recent development amid its long and latent poverty.”
