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Dateline
- December 15, 2006
Australia-France Defence Cooperation Agreement
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The
Australia-France defence relationship will be further enhanced
through the signing of a Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) in
Paris. I signed the DCA during a meeting with the French Minister
for Defence, Michele Alliot-Marie. The DCA between Australia and
France is Australia’s first DCA with a European country.
The DCA will provide a framework for further cooperation across
a broad range of military and defence civilian areas such as materiel
and capability planning.
Australia and France share concerns over global threats to security,
as well as a commitment to assist the Pacific region in its own
stability and security. France, in cooperation primarily with
Australia and New Zealand, actively contributes to maritime surveillance,
humanitarian and disaster relief assistance and support to regional
defence and police forces in the Pacific and Southern Oceans.
France is an important part of the European defence industry and
there is an increasingly significant level of materiel activity
between Australia and France.
From France, I will travel to the Netherlands to meet the Dutch
Defence Minster, Henk Kamp. Our discussions will focus on Afghanistan,
where Australia and Dutch forces are cooperating on reconstruction
tasks in Oruzgan Province.I will also visit London for the inaugural
Australia-UK Ministerial talks (AUKMIN).
Australia and the UK maintain important bilateral defence and
security links. The AUKMIN dialogue will be a significant opportunity
to discuss issues of mutual strategic interest. Both Australia
and the UK have a military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, and
other issues will include the global campaign against terrorism,
counter proliferation, and cooperation on intelligence and security. |
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