Prime Minister Boris Johnson with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
(Picture: PA Archive)Boris Johnson is set to sign off on a £25million security deal with Australia as part of a new defence pact with the state.
Mr Johnson claimed the new security deal is the latest step in forging a new partnership with the Commonwealth state, following a call with the country’s Prime Minister, Scott Morrison on Wednesday.
The new deal also comes five months after the AUKUS agreement and is part of the UK’s foreign policy shift towards the Indo-Pacific region.
The Prime Minister said: "The UK and Australia are working together to enhance regional security in the Indo-Pacific, drive innovation in science and green technology and boost opportunities for our businesses and citizens.
"Our nations are forging a new partnership from a historic alliance, fit for the next century and grounded in our shared priorities on security, democracy and free and fair trade."
The agreement will be invested in projects designed to strengthen resilience in cyberspace, foreign state threats, and maritime security.
The UK marked the beginning of the shift towards the Indo-Pacific by dispatching the HMS Queen Elizabeth through the Mediterranean, Middle East and Asia during the second half of 2021.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace also travelled to Australia in a bid to forge closer ties with the state last month.
The trip was the first since the beginning of Covid and aimed to build on the AUKUS agreement.
Ms Truss said: “With malign forces threatening global peace and stability it is vital that close allies like the UK and Australia show robust vigilance in defence of freedom and democracy.
“The AUKUS partnership between the UK, Australia and the United States is a clear demonstration of how we will defend our values, protect trade routes and increase stability across the Indo-Pacific.
“In Australia, I will be strengthening our economic, diplomatic and security ties - making our country safer and more competitive - in order to win the battle for ideas as part of our network of liberty.”
The AUKUS agreement was signed in order to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines.
The alliance will also enhance future collaboration in new technology in order to maintain stability in the region.
