E&OE
29 October 2008, French Foreign Ministry, Paris*
Press conference - Launch of the Australia-EU Partnership Framework
Stephen Smith: Minister (Yade) thank you very much, you and the Commissioner and Foreign Minister Kouchner. Firstly, I thank you for your warm hospitality on my visit to France. The Partnership Agreement that Australia and the European Union have adopted today is, in Australia’s eyes, a deeply historic agreement. This transforms the relationship between Australia and the European Union. Australia and the European Union have a very significant relationship. In so far as economic, trade and investment are concerned, the EU is the largest single overseas investor in Australia. So the economic relationship between Australia and the European Union is very important.
The modern relationship transcends our economies. It covers shared values, shared belief in international norms, human rights, acting in a regional sense, and acting in a regional forum. This transforms the relationship between Australia and the European Union. I think it’s historically accurate to say that, the first 30 years of the relationship between Australia and Europe were defined by disagreement over the Common Agricultural Policy. This agreement places our relationship and a very broad basis, way with great optimism for the future.
In our meeting we traversed all of the issues confronting both Australia, Europe and the international community: the need for a global response to the international financial crisis; the fact that we warmly welcome the decision to use the G20 as the institution for addressing the financial economic crisis. I warmly welcome President Sarkozy’s comment that the G20 meeting at the leaders’ level can deal with other serious international issues like climate change, energy and food security.
Can I also take this opportunity to warmly congratulate France for its Presidency of the European Union. France has had to deal with some significant events. Russia and Georgia, the international financial crisis, and it has done so with great aplomb and with great positive activity. In the midst of the financial and economic difficulties, the Australian Prime Minister spoke to Commissioner Barroso and I spoke to my counterpart Foreign Minister Kouchner, which reflects not just the very good relationship between Australia and France, but also France’s success during this time as President of the European Union.
So I look forward very much to working closely with the European Union and the Commissioner as we progress the Partnership Agreement between Australia and the European Union and we regard today as a very positive outcome, an historic change and shift in the relationship between Australia and the European Union, as taking that relationship to the front-line of relationships that Australia has in the international community.
Mr Kouchner (joining the press conference), thank you very much for your warm welcome, thank you very much for our productive discussions. Relations between Australia and France have always been friendly and productive but I don’t think they have been as good as they are now. The personal relationship between Prime Minister Rudd and President Sarkozy is very strong, the personal relationship that you and I have is, in my mind, first class. I have enjoyed our meeting today as I have enjoyed previous meetings and telephone conversations.
I publicly, as I have privately, complement France on its leadership of the EU Presidency, particularly in the face of difficult circumstances in Georgia, but also the financial crisis. Australia looks forward very much to working with France on the financial crisis. We look forward to attending the G20 meeting and as Minister Kouchner has said, it has been agreed that France or rather President Sarkozy, will speak in advance of the meeting.
I invited the Foreign Minister to visit Australia, which he has undertaken to visit. That reflects of course not just the good relationship between Australia and France but also reflects our mutual interest in the Pacific where we’ve also agreed that there should be a closer cooperation and coordination between Australia and France, just as between Australia and the European Union on our development assistance programs in the Pacific and our general and mutual interests in the Pacific.
Minister thanks for your hospitality, it’s always a great pleasure to be in Paris, and it’s very productive to have these ongoing discussions with you on regional, national and international matters of interest and concern. Thank you.
Journalist: I would like to ask a question about the EU, France and the Republic of Congo, noting there are diplomatic moves afoot to go to the Congo.
Smith: If I could just echo Foreign Minister Kouchner’s comments about the tragic situation there. More generally, can I make a point about Australia’s engagement in Africa. I make the point, as I did in my conversation with the Foreign Minister, that Australia wants to very much enhance its relationship with Africa. Regretfully, Australia’s relationship with Africa has been restricted historically to South Africa itself and to former Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, and to a couple of countries in the north, like Egypt. This is not sufficient for a country like Australia dealing with a continent like Africa.
As I earlier indicated, when I spoke in the margins of the UN General Assembly, Australia is committed to substantially enhancing its relationship with Africa as a continent - both in an investment, trade and commercial sense, in a development assistance sense, but also in a strategic and security sense. We think this is very important. It’s reflected by the fact that this afternoon I’ll be meeting with the Secretary General of the Francophonie, which again reflects Australia’s desire to engage much more comprehensively with Africa and I am very appreciative of the situation report that the Minister gave me, on the situation (in the Congo) that he has just given you. A difficult and tragic situation, and from afar, Australia of course wishes France and the European Union the best success with its intentions and endeavours to try and relieve such a terrible situation.
*Also present but not transcripted were French Foreign Minister, Bernard Kouchner; Rama Yade, French Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; Benita Ferrero-Waldner, European Commissioner for External Relations.
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