International relations

The Australian Government acknowledges the announcement by the Netherlands Public Prosecution Service and the MH17 Joint Investigation Team that they will suspend their investigation into additional individuals responsible for the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17.

After two years of devastating conflict, the 2 November 2022 African Union-brokered peace agreement offers the Ethiopian people an opportunity to achieve enduring and lasting peace.

On 1 February 2021, the Myanmar military staged a coup d'état and seized power against the will of the people, plunging the country into a deep political, economic and humanitarian crisis.

The Australian Government is imposing targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on individuals responsible for egregious human rights abuses in Myanmar, as well as sanctions on entities enabling the repression of its people, and additional sanctions on Iranian individuals and entities over abhorrent abuses of human rights.

The second Australia-France Foreign and Defence Ministerial Consultations reflected the shared commitment to restore a dynamic bilateral relationship founded on trust and shared interests, in line with the priorities agreed by the President of the French Republic and the Australian Prime Minister.

DFAT is undertaking a legislative review of the Autonomous Sanctions Regulations 2011, ahead of their sunsetting (automatic expiry) on 1 April 2024. The review, led by the Australian Sanctions Office (ASO), will be informed by responses to the ASO’s Issues Paper.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, the Hon Richard Marles MP, and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong, will travel to France and the United Kingdom.

Australia unequivocally condemns the horrific terrorist attack that claimed the lives of at least seven worshippers in Jerusalem on Friday evening. Terrorism and violence against civilians can never be justified.

A workshop on “Strengthening Shared Understanding Among the Partners in the Blue Pacific (PBP) and Pacific Islands: Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IUUF) and Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA)” was held 24-26 January 2023 at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu, Hawaii.