Australia, ASEAN future interlinked, says Australian Foreign Minister

PUTRAJAYA: Southeast Asia will remain an important region to Australia says Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who also emphasized on the new Australian government's commitment to ASEAN centrality.

Wong who is currently on a three-day official visit to Malaysia said on Tuesday that Australia's future is interlinked with both ASEAN and Southeast Asia's future.

"We share the same future because we share the same region, and that is how we will approach relationships and many of the challenges we face," she said.

"The Australian Government remains committed to ASEAN Centrality and we see ASEAN as the center of a stable, peaceful, and prosperous region in which sovereignty is respected," she told a joint news conference with Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah after a bilateral meeting at the latter's office here.

She said Australia is also privileged and honoured to be a Comprehensive Strategic Partner of ASEAN, adding that during her visit to Jakarta with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese early this month, she had the opportunity to meet with the ASEAN secretary general and other permanent representatives to discuss the way forward in building on the stronger partnership.

Australia and ASEAN joined the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership arrangement in October 2021.

On Australia, United Kingdom and United States trilateral security pact better known through the acronym AUKUS, the Foreign Minister said under the agreement Australian government had intended to replace the existing diesel-powered submarines with nuclear-propelled submarines.

"We are talking about nuclear propulsion not nuclear weapon," she said allaying the misconception on the security pact and the submarines.

Elaborating further, Wong said her new government is also taking time to listen and explain to various parties regarding their concern on the matter.

AUKUS, which was announced in September last year had caused major security concern among states in the region that feared it could further raise tension in the region.

On a different note, Wong who was born in Malaysia before moving to Australia since young had described her visit here this time as a special day.

As part of her visit itinerary here, Wong is also scheduled to meet with Senior Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali and Senior Minister of Defence Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein before flying to Kota Kinabalu on Wednesday where she would also meet with several state leaders.

Before arriving in Malaysia, Wong was in Vietnam on Monday. After her appointment as the foreign minister early this month she was in Indonesia with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

-- BERNAMA