PRESS RELEASE : UK strengthens maritime commitment to Pacific region with Indo-Pacific Minister visit to Australia [November 2023]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 6 November 2023.
Minister for the Indo-Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan arrives in Sydney for a two-visit today (6 Nov), before travelling onto New Zealand and Pacific Island Countries including the Cook Islands, Fiji and Tonga.
- Minister for the Indo-Pacific, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, will reinforce the UK’s maritime commitment to the Pacific region in her visit to Australia
- Attending the International Maritime Exposition in Sydney, the Minister will highlight UK-Australia collaboration, including through AUKUS
- The visit will fortify UK-Australia bilateral ties and strengthen existing partnerships in the region, highlighting the shared goal of supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific
To underline the UK’s steadfast commitment to Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Island Countries, UK Minister for the Indo-Pacific, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, will arrive in Sydney today (6 November) for a two-day programme focused on government engagement, maritime security, and the strategic importance of the Indo-Pacific.
Attending the Indo-Pacific International Maritime Exposition, Minister Trevelyan will showcase the UK’s dedication to fostering trade opportunities and reinforcing our commitment to the AUKUS partnership at meetings with UK and international businesses developing key infrastructure for the naval industry.
The Minister will visit HMS Tamar, currently docked in Sydney. HMS Tamar and HMS Spey are UK Naval vessels positioned in the region to increase the UK’s long-term presence in the Indo-Pacific and help tackle regional security challenges. Working alongside partners and allies, the ships are conducting defence engagement and training with partner nations to enhance regional security.
AUKUS is integral to UK efforts to support a free, peaceful and stable region. The UK Defence Secretary, Grant Shapps, recently accompanied Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister, Richard Marles, on a visit to Rolls-Royce’s nuclear reactor manufacturing site in Derby to meet the first group of Australians training alongside UK experts to understand how the next generation of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines will be developed.
UK Minister for the Indo-Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:
Our close collaboration with Australia is testament to our shared vision for stability, growth and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.
AUKUS will allow us to deliver on our defence and security commitments, including in the maritime domain, to benefit our nations and the wider region.
Engaging with countries in the Indo-Pacific is a key UK government priority. On 7 November the Foreign Secretary will be in Japan for the G7 Foreign Minister’s Meeting in Tokyo. With around 60% of global shipping passing through the Indo-Pacific, ensuring maritime security is critical to the Prime Minister’s priority of growing the UK’s economy. Increased engagement in the Indo-Pacific is now a permanent pillar of the UK’s international policy.
Today’s visit underscores the depth of the UK partnership with Australia, building on the Minister’s work to boost regional trade earlier this year in Perth and Darwin. In September, she met government officials, business leaders and defence experts to discuss the UK’s increased engagement in the region.
Following her engagements in Australia, the Minister will travel to New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Fiji and Tonga, where she will meet counterparts to discuss shared challenges facing the region. The Minister will represent the UK as a Dialogue Partner of the Pacific Islands Forum, taking place in the Cook Islands from 6-10 November.
