Anthony Albanese is considering whether to attend a NATO summit as part of a show of support from Asia Pacific partners for the response to Russia and China. |EXCLUSIVE by David Crowe
Australia will be asked to back a transformation of the NATO alliance to toughen defences against Russia and confront strategic competition with China at a summit later this month that will expand the 30-member alliance in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is considering attending international talks where an expansion of NATO will be discussed.The agenda includes stronger cooperation on cybersecurity in response to heightened activity by Russia and China, an issue raised between NATO and Australian leaders in the past, as well as highly sensitive proposals to send more forces to Eastern Europe to defend the alliance’s eastern flank.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to speak online or in person to the gathering, which will also include United States President Joe Biden and other NATO leaders.A formal invitation to Albanese to attend the summit is expected within days after NATO Deputy Secretary-General Mircea Geoană confirmed the intention to hear from Asia Pacific leaders as part of what he called the “transformation” of the alliance in the decisions to be made in Madrid.
“Cyberspace, new technologies, hybrid [warfare], climate change and security – this is the obligation of NATO to be permanently adjusting to a changed environment. We are entering, as we speak, the era of great power competition. For the first time ever, in Madrid, we’ll have, at the highest level, our four Asia Pacific partners – Australia, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand – attending our summit. The world is changing and NATO needs to adjust to this changing world.
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