Hon Judith Collins KC
Minister of Defence

Defence Minister Judith Collins will this week attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus in Vientiane, Laos.

“We need to take every opportunity to engage with our international partners, given the increasingly unstable geo-political situation,” Ms Collins says.

“New Zealand has a long-standing commitment to this meeting as a key forum for defence engagement in the Indo-Pacific, in support of regional stability and security.

“This is an important and timely opportunity to gather in-person to discuss a range of defence and security issues.”

Ms Collins will also hold a number of bilateral meetings with counterparts from throughout the region while in Vientiane.

The meeting comprises Defence Ministers from ASEAN and its eight Dialogue Partners, including Australia, China, Japan and the United States.

Ms Collins leaves tomorrow and returns on Saturday.

Notes:

• ASEAN comprises 10 South East Asian countries: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam. Timor-Leste is in the process of accession as the 11th member of ASEAN.
• ASEAN Dialogue Partners are: Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States.

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