US and Australia have agreed to further cooperate with India, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines and Korea to ensure the security and stability of the Indo-Pacific at the 33rd Australia-US Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN).
Officials from the two countries on Saturday met in Brisbane.
The US delegation was led by Secretary of Defense, Lloyd J Austin, and Secretary of State, Antony Blinken. The Australian delegation included Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Penny Wong.
During the meeting, the two countries reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing interoperability with the militaries of the Pacific through a range of exercises.
They welcomed Fiji, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga’s participation in Exercise TALISMAN SABRE 2023 for the first time, as well as India, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines as inaugural observers.
About AUSMIN
AUSMIN, the Australia-United States Ministerial Consultation, is the main annual forum for consultations between Australia and the United States.
It has been held most years since 1985, with the meetings alternating between locations in the Australia and the United States.
Notably, it involves the Australian Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Defence as well as the US Secretaries of State and Defense, with senior officials from both portfolios.
The events are important in the relationship between Australia and the United States, and they enable discussion on major global and regional political issues, as well as deepening bilateral foreign security and defense cooperation.
