UK, Australia leaders meet to discuss AUKUS, Myanmar and Ukraine crisis

Asia-Pacific, Europe, News February 18, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson held a virtual meeting on February 16.

The leaders of the UK and Australia discussed the shared commitment to work on an array of issues including mutual trade, defense, regional security, and Indo-Pacific cooperation.

In the post-meeting joint statement that was released by the Australian Prime Minister’s office, it was stated that the two countries have made ‘significant progress’ on the AUKUS deal and hastened their effort to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines.

The United Kingdom has pledged $34 million as a part of its commitment to support the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region. The meeting between the two leaders comes at a time when China is stressing its influence and power over the Indo-Pacific region and especially in the South China Sea.

According to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the pledged fund would be used to “strengthen regional resilience in areas including cyberspace, state threats, and maritime security”.

The two leaders also discussed the issues related to the ongoing situation of the Ukraine crisis. Johnson and Morison stressed the need for the de-escalation of the situation. The post-meeting joint statement stated that “The two leaders underscored that any further Russian incursion in Ukraine would be a massive strategic mistake and have a stark humanitarian cost.”

*^{UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a virtual meeting with Scott Morrison on February 16, 2022. (Image Credit: Twitter/@BorisJohnson)}*

Since the announcement of the AUKUS deal, the Australia-UK security ties have become stronger, especially in the realm of protecting the maritime routes of the Indo-Pacific region. The increased security ties between the two countries are becoming an open contender of China’s increasing influence in the region. The narrative was reflective in the post-meeting joint statement where the two leaders stressed the importance of maritime rights and freedom, especially in the South China Sea. They stated that all the countries along the coast coastline of the South China Sea should abide by the rules devised at the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

“Leaders reiterated their strong opposition to any unilateral actions that could escalate tensions and undermine regional stability and the international rules-based order, including militarisation, coercion, and intimidation,” the statement said.

^{Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison speak to members of the media in the garden of 10 Downing Street, on June 15, 2021. (Image Credit: Andrew Parsons/UK Prime Minister’s Office)}

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the UK has made significant progress in making sure to provide Australia with nuclear-powered conventionally armed submarines. The AUKUS deal was settled in September 2021 that would allow the United States and the United Kingdom to assist Australia in acquiring eight nuclear-powered submarines by 2025.

While discussing the situation of the Myanmar coup of February 2021, the two leaders stressed the importance of the “immediate cessation of violence against civilian populations, the release of all those arbitrarily detained, including Australian Professor Sean Turnell, and unhindered humanitarian access”. They urged the leaders from the ASEAN countries to raise voices against the humanitarian crisis that is going on in Myanmar and to intervene in order to end the violence in the country.