10 October 2024, Vientiane – Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone presided over the 4th ASEAN-Australia Summit, attended by ASEAN leaders, the Honouranle Anthony Albanese MP, Prime Minister of Australia, and the Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste as an observer. The summit reviewed cooperation over the past years and charted a future course for strengthening ASEAN-Australia relations. The meeting expressed appreciation for the successful conclusion of the Special Summit to Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of ASEAN-Australia Dialogue Relations, held on 4-6 March 2024 in Melbourne, Australia, under the co-chairmanship of the Prime Minister of the Lao PDR as ASEAN Chair and Country Coordinator for ASEAN-Australia Dialogue Relations (2021-2024) and the Prime Minister of Australia.
Looking to the future, the meeting encouraged both sides to intensify efforts to advance cooperation through the implementation of the initiatives announced at the Special Summit, including the Plan of Action (2025-2029), with the aim of realizing the ASEAN-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Australia remains one of ASEAN’s long-standing and important dialogue partners. ASEAN-Australia dialogue relations was established in 1974, elevated to a Strategic Partnership in 2014, and further enhanced to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2021.
