This week in Australian foreign affairs: Albanese visits Hipkins in Wellington, Talisman Sabre 2023, USS Canberra commissioned in Sydney, more sanctions in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and more.

On 26 July, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins in Wellington. The leaders issued a joint statement noting that the bilateral relationship “is unlike any other” and that the two nations’ “shared values, common outlook and people-to-people links underpin a critical partnership.” They also noted that 2023 “is a year in which New Zealand and Australia celebrate a trifecta of significant anniversaries: the 40th anniversary of the world leading Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement that has transformed our economies and societies; the 50th anniversary of the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement, a landmark achievement that facilitated seamless movement of people between our nations; and the 80th anniversary of the establishment of High Commissions in our respective capitals.” They committed to a Trans-Tasman Roadmap to 2035, which “outlines how we will work together over the coming decade across five pillars that offer the greatest potential for achieving our shared vision: sustainable, inclusive and prosperous economies; security and resilience; active partners in the Pacific; upholding shared principles and values; and our peoples.”

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles officially opened Exercise Talisman Sabre, Australia’s largest bilateral military exercise with the United States on 21 July. Talisman Sabre 2023 will run for two weeks, and 13 nations will participate “in high-end multi-domain warfighting across sea, land, air, cyber and space.” In addition to Australia and the United States, forces from Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Republic of Korea, Tonga and the United Kingdom will participate in the exercise. Personnel from India, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand are attending as observers.

On 22 July, United States Navy ship, the USS Canberra, was commissioned in Sydney. It is the first US vessel to be commissioned in Australia. Marles noted that its commissioning “reflects the long-standing friendship and alliance between Australia and the US and our shared commitment to upholding the rules-based order.” Members of the ship’s company visited Canberra on 23 July, where the Australian Capital Territory granted Freedom of Entry, the “highest accolade a city can bestow”, which “reinforces the strong ties that bind Australia and the US.”

This week, Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong and Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Tim Watts announced additional targeted sanctions in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions are in “careful coordination with [Australia’s] international partners” and target “35 entities in Russia’s defence, technology and energy sectors, and 10 individuals, including Russian Ministers and senior officials, and senior military personnel in Belarus.” Wong stated that “Australia’s sanctions regime against Russia reflects our support for the people of Ukraine and for its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

On 24 July, Minister for International Development and the Pacific Pat Conroy travelled to Solomon Islands “to continue deepening the relationship between our two countries.” His trip coincided with the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands, “when the Pacific family came together to successfully restore peace and security in Solomon Islands.” He addressed Solomon Islands University in Honiara on 25 July, where he emphasised that “education is central to equipping ourselves and our nations to meet the significant challenges of our time.” Conroy noted that “our people have shared our oceans and traded for thousands of years” and that “our first nations people and shared culture are an important part of our identity and our connection with the Pacific.” He also stated that the development partnership between Australia and Solomon Islands is “longstanding and enduring” and that Australia “want[s] Solomon Islands to be prosperous, peaceful and secure because your peace and security is our security.”

Conroy was also in Papua New Guinea this past week, where on 21 July he announced $5.5 million to support Papua New Guinea’s pathway to having a team in Australia’s National Rugby League competition. He stated that “Australia and Papua New Guinea share a passion for rugby league, and we know how important having an NRL team is for the people of PNG” and that “there’s huge potential for rugby league to bring our countries even closer together.”

Isabella Keith is a weekly columnist for Australian Outlook. She is also a Research Assistant, Sessional Academic, and Honours student in Law at the Australian National University, with a focus on international law. Isabella attended the AIIA #NextGen study tour to South Korea last year, and was also a delegate to the AIIA’s Australia-Korea-New Zealand and Australia-United States-Japan Policy Forums. She can be found on Twitter here.

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