Joint Statement
28 November 2008
Australia-UK Ministerial Dialogue
British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, David Miliband, British Secretary of State for Defence John Hutton, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Stephen Smith, and Australian Minister for Defence Joel Fitzgibbon met in Leeds today for the second Australia- UK Ministerial Dialogue.
The four Ministers discussed in detail a number of shared global and regional challenges, and how the United Kingdom and Australia can work together effectively to meet these.
This dialogue reflects the close and dynamic contemporary relationship, the shared perspectives, and the aligned security interests of the United Kingdom and Australia. These talks come at a time of unprecedented bilateral cooperation across the range of foreign and defence issues.
The two Defence Ministers John Hutton and Joel Fitzgibbon underlined both countries’ commitment to further strengthening UK-Australia Defence Cooperation by establishing annual senior-level policy talks.
All four Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the importance and relevance of the UK-Australia relationship.
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