PH, Australia partnership shifts to strategic level

MANILA – The Philippines and Australian governments have agreed to elevate their partnership from comprehensive to strategic, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday.

The commitment was made during a bilateral meeting between Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. and Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne on the sidelines of the Asean-G7 Foreign and Development Ministerial Meetings in Liverpool, United Kingdom last December 11.

“As our 75th anniversary year draws to a close, I take satisfaction in the breadth and scope of our engagement this year from our political, trade, defense, and counterterrorism mechanisms to our successful joint ministerial meeting,” Locsin said.

The two ministers also agreed to work closely on vaccines and pandemic response.

Australia has pledged to provide about 3.6 million vaccine doses to the Philippines, with the initial tranche of 700,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine delivered in November.

Apart from this, they reiterated their commitment to enhancing defense cooperation, including partnerships with Australia for the country’s defense modernization program.

Among the topics discussed by the two ministers were the Australia-United Kingdom-US Enhanced Trilateral Security Partnership (AUKUS) and the recent developments in the South China Sea.

Locsin, meanwhile, conveyed his appreciation for Canberra’s statements of support for the 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea and looked forward to further enhancing bilateral cooperation on maritime issues.

The Philippines and Australia marked 75 years of diplomatic ties this year, with a series of diplomatic, social, and community events in the Philippines and Australia.