Australia & UK Deepen Security Ties Under AUKUS Agreement

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson made the announcement during a virtual meeting with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison this week, where both leaders pledged to support the rules-based international order and respect the “sovereign rights of all nations.”

Both leaders also welcomed progress under AUKUS, citing the signing of the Exchange of Naval Nuclear Propulsion Information Agreement on February 8th, which opened the door for the UK and United States to share naval propulsion information with Australia.

Johnson and Morrison said officials from all three countries would be meeting in London to discuss collaboration on mutual security issues in the coming weeks, such as cyber, artificial intelligence, quantum tech and undersea capabilities.

“The prime ministers expressed their determination to continue to work closely together, in lockstep with President Biden, to make AUKUS a success, and looked forward to the next set of trilateral discussions at the end of the month in Australia,” a joint-statement read.

Both Australian and UK governments also emphasized their commitment to Ukraine’s “sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity” amid ongoing tensions with Russia.

CANZUK International welcomes further security collaboration between Australia and the United Kingdom, and will continue to advocate for further developments regarding Canada and New Zealand joining the current AUKUS agreement.