Penny Wong, Foreign Minister: Can I say it's fantastic to be back here in Malaysia for the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. Obviously, Malaysia is a country I know well, a country I'm from. And I want to say again that Australia strongly supports Malaysia in its role as Chair of ASEAN 2025. ASEAN matters deeply to Australia, to our security, to our prosperity. We know that our security and prosperity are tied to this region, and that is why we have rebuilt relationships and have deepened engagement with Southeast Asia. This has been a personal priority for me and a priority for the Labor Government.
Central to this work is our economic strategy, the Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040, which the Prime Minister released, and we are implementing with business and with the governments of ASEAN. We know more trade with Southeast Asia means more jobs, more investment and a stronger, more resilient Australian economy. And in these uncertain times, and they are uncertain, strengthening Australia's relationships with more international partners, into more markets, has never been more important.
I was honoured this morning to meet Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim again and to mark 70 years of our diplomatic presence in Malaysia. And I thank him for making the time to meet with me. Australia's partnership with Malaysia continues to grow from defence to border security to clean energy and the digital economy, and importantly, we work together to assure a region that is peaceful, stable and prosperous.
I'm also pleased to announce that the Australian Government will provide an additional $10 million in humanitarian assistance to improve disaster response in our region and to support displaced women and girls from Myanmar. When our region is healthier, more stable and better prepared for disasters, that also ensures Australia's security and safety.
Before I take questions, I want to acknowledge the very, very sad anniversary of today. Today marks 30 years since the start of the 1995 genocide in Srebrenica. More than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were murdered and 25,000 people were forcibly deported. We remember them, we honour the survivors who have fought for justice and truth, and we recognise the enduring pain and trauma that so many still carry three decades on. Happy to take questions.
Journalist: Allison Jackson from AFP news agency. Can I get your response to Russia’s latest attacks on Kyiv in the last couple of days and my second question is on your position on deep sea mining?
Foreign Minister: In relation to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, we continue to maintain, and I've said this on multiple occasions, Russia's invasion of Ukraine is illegal and immoral and a breach of the UN Charter. That is why all countries of the world should stand against it. A breach of the UN Charter by a permanent member of the Security Council is an attack on all of us. We need to ensure that the UN Charter and international law is maintained. I know that there are discussions ongoing about a time to resolve this conflict. We want the conflict resolved on Ukrainian terms and we want to see Russia reflect on the position it is taking, which is in breach of international law, we’ve made that clear. On deep sea mining, certainly in the context of the Pacific Islands Forum, we have said that that is something the Forum needs to consider and come to a position, we know that there are different views on that.
Journalist: Yesterday you announced $1.2 billion in development assistance for ASEAN. What is it that Australia hopes to get?
Foreign Minister: Look what I've done, a number of things, since I became Foreign Minister, but also a number of actions we've taken since there has been a reduction in development assistance from a number of development partners, is we have sought to, where we can, pivot our aid to the region. We’re not a superpower, we're not a great power, we're a middle power and a longstanding dialogue partner of ASEAN, and we recognise the importance of this region. And what you will find is that some 75 cents in every dollar that Australia provides in development assistance is directed to our broader region. We will continue to prioritise that. That has meant making some hard decisions in order to prioritise development assistance in our region, for example, in Timor-Leste and in Myanmar.
Journalist: From Nikkei Asia. Australia's administration, to some degree, has been putting up a more balanced approach in this region. With China's desire to change the balance of power, it's also crucial that the US retains presence in the region. What is, you know, given that China's ambition for primacy in this region and also in East Asia, what is a feasible approach for Australia for something like that?
Foreign Minister: Look I've made clear for a number of years now, we want to see a region where no one country dominates and no country is dominated. We want to see a region where sovereignty is protected. We want to see a region where there is a balance of power, where there is strategic stability, where countries can make their own choices, and where we do not see coercion or duress. That is Australia's position, and we will keep working with countries of the region and beyond to assure that. I said in my speech yesterday morning, continued US engagement in this region is critical to strategic stability. We believe that, and we continue to work, not just with the US, but with ASEAN to assure that, and also with other countries of North Asia, including the Republic of Korea and Japan.
Anything more?
Journalist: Minister, on the Prime Minister’s visit to China?
Foreign Minister: Well the Prime Minister is proceeding to China for the next Annual Leaders’ Meeting. That is obviously part of our architecture of our relationship, our diplomatic relationship with China. We have made clear, we want a stable relationship with China. We know that there are areas we can cooperate, and we will. We know that there are areas where we will disagree, and we have, and we will. But we also that know that dialogue and engagement is in all our interests because that enables us to navigate better the relationship. Thank you very much. Terima kasih.