Anthony Albanese will become the first Australian prime minister to visit the Philippines for bilateral talks in two decades as part of a five-day Southeast Asian sojourn.
The prime minister will travel to Indonesia, the Philippines and India in September to meet with regional leaders to discuss global challenges and advance Australia’s economic, security and climate agenda.
The whirlwind trip will begin with Albanese attending the third annual ASEAN-Australia Summit and the 18th East Asia Summit in Jakarta from Sep. 6 to 7.
Albanese will then move to Manila for a meeting with Philippines President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr on Sep. 8 which is expected to focus on boosting co-operation on defence and maritime security, development and education.
It will mark the first bilateral visit to the Philippines by an Australian prime minister since 2003.
Albanese’s last stop will be at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi, with this year’s two-day meeting centred on the theme of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’.
The prime minister said deepening Australia’s engagement with Southeast Asia was a key priority for his government.
“Our futures are intertwined-so it’s essential that we work together to achieve a peaceful, stable and prosperous region,” Albanese said in a statement on Aug. 11.
“It is more important than ever that Australia works closely with international partners, including through multilateral economic forums like the G20, to address shared challenges and opportunities.”
