Sydney, July 9 (BNA): Albanese’s office said trade and security will be a priority for Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on a trip this week to meet German Chancellor Olaf Schultz and attend a NATO summit in Lithuania.
The Labor leader’s office said in a statement late Saturday that he would meet Schultz on Monday to discuss “deepening cooperation between Australia and Germany” on “trade, investment, clean energy transition and defence.”
The statement said that Australia will defend at the summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on Tuesday and Wednesday “the strategic priorities of our region and the promotion of Australia’s security, economic and trade agenda.”
Australia is not a member of NATO, but it has longstanding ties with the Western alliance and attended last year’s summit in Madrid as a non-member participant.
This week Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell will travel to Brussels, in an effort to advance stalled talks for a free trade agreement between Australia and the European Union.
The trip follows recent talks between the Australian and EU trade ministers, Reuters reported, as optimism is growing that sticking points over the agreement can be overcome with further negotiations.
“While in Brussels I will meet with my counterpart, Executive Vice President and European Commissioner for Trade, Valdis Dombrowskis, as well as EU Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski,” Farrell said in a statement on Sunday.
MI
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