MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd October, 2022) Australia and Japan have agreed to strengthen cooperation in the field of defense and security by signing a Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday.
"Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and I signed the declaration today in Perth, reflecting the strong and growing Special Strategic Partnership between our two countries. Together we are accelerating efforts to realise a stable, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific," Albanese said in a tweet.
The declaration will determine the development of relations between the two countries in the field of defense and security for the next 10 years. Special attention is paid to strengthening partnerships in such areas as cybersecurity and outer space, as well as enhancing counterstrike capabilities and interoperability.
The counterparts also agreed to reaffirm the vital Special Strategic Partnership between the two countries.
Kishida also intends to discuss issues related to ensuring the stability of energy supplies against the background of rising prices and China's growing activities. The parties will discuss issues of cooperation within the framework of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad).
Kishida's visit to Australia will last until October 23. Albanese has already visited Japan twice: the first time - immediately after his election in May this year to participate in the Quad summit, and the second time when he came to the funeral of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on September 27. Kishida was going to visit Australia in January of this year, but the epidemiological situation in the country due to the coronavirus disrupted these plans.
