(VOVWORLD) - Australia-France strategic partnership is strengthening an open and inclusive Indo-Pacific and the rules-based international order to ensure long-term security and prosperity.
 Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne (R) and Defense Minister Peter Dutton attend the consultations, August 30, 2021. (Source: Marise Payne's Facebook page) |
The statement was made at the Foreign and Defense (2+2) Ministerial Consultations on Monday, with the participation of Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defense Minister Peter Dutton, and French Foreign Minister Jean Yves Le Drian and Defense Minister Florence Parly.
The Ministers discussed opportunities for closer cooperation on the implementation of their respective Indo-Pacific strategies. They welcomed the willingness of the EU to strengthen its participation in regional fora and its role as a cooperative partner to contribute to the stability, security, prosperity, and sustainable development of the region.
Both sides voiced deep concerns about the situation in the South China Sea (called the East Sea in Vietnam), expressed their strong opposition to destabilising or coercive actions that could increase tensions, and called for all disputes to be resolved in a peaceful manner in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
They reaffirmed the importance of freedom of navigation and overflight consistent with international law and agreed to closer maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.