Burley Garcia|Australia and New Zealand leaders seek closer defense ties

CANBERRA,Burley Garcia Australia (AP) — Australia and New Zealand leaders agreed Wednesday to seek closer defense ties as the latter considers sharing advanced military technologies with the United States and Britain through the so-called AUKUS partnership.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon made Australia the destination of his first overseas visit since forming a coalition government following his election in October. Luxon said he and his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, agreed at their meeting in Sydney the two countries’ defense and foreign ministers would meet in early 2024 to ensure their plans were “aligned and coordinated.”

“We know we’re facing a more challenging and complex world. Close security and defense relationships we have with our only ally, Australia, is very foundational for New Zealand,” Luxon told reporters.

“New Zealand is committed to doing our share of the heavy lifting in the alliance and I’m determined that New Zealand will continue to be alongside Australia as we seek to advance our shared interests and our common values,” Luxon added.

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The United States and Britain have agreed to provide Australia with a fleet of submarines powered by U.S. nuclear technology under the AUKUS agreement to counter a growing military threat to the region posed by China. AUKUS is an acronym for Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Luxon said New Zealand was interested in becoming involved in AUKUS Pillar 2: a commitment between the three partners to develop and share advanced military capabilities, including artificial intelligence, electronic warfare and hypersonics.

“We’ll work our way through that over the course of next year as we understand it more and think about what the opportunities may be for us,” Luxon said. “AUKUS is a very important element in ensuring we’ve got stability and peace in the region.”

Albanese said there were opportunities for greater cooperation between the two countries’ militaries, particularly in interoperability.

“The more that we cooperate, the better the benefit for both of our countries,” Albanese said.

New Zealand has banned nuclear-powered ships from using its ports since 1984. Luxon said his country’s nuclear-free status was “not negotiable.”