LONDON, July 26 (KUNA) -- The United Kingdom and Australia signed on Saturday a treaty for collaboration in the industry of fabricating nuclear-powered submarines.
The UK Defence Ministry said in a statement that the accord was inked by Richard Marles, Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, and John Healey, Britain's Secretary of State for Defence in the Australia city of Geelong. The historic agreement, the official statement said, affirms commitment for the next 50 years of Uk-Australian bilateral cooperation under the Aukus Pillar I (that calls for the acquisition and development of conventionally armed but nuclear-powered submarines for the Royal Australian Navy).
The treaty builds on the strong foundation of trilateral cooperation between Australia, the UK and the United States, advancing the shared objectives of the AUKUS partnership.
Importantly, the Geelong Treaty is consistent with Australia's and the UK's respective international nuclear non-proliferation obligations, including under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty and its Protocols, and Australia's safeguards agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the trilateral AUKUS Naval Nuclear Propulsion Agreement (ANNPA).
Together with the ANNPA, the treaty will enable Australia and the UK to deliver a cutting-edge undersea capability to support stability and security in the Euro Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific for decades to come, drive defence as an engine for growth across the two nations, create thousands of jobs, build respective submarine industrial bases and supply chains, and provide new opportunities for industry partners.
Moreover, the statement noted that on 25 July (2025), Australia's Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles hosted the UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Affairs David Lammy and the Secretary of State for Defence John Healey for the Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) in Sydney.
The ministers, during the Sydney meeting, noted the global security environment has become more dangerous and unpredictable since they last met in December 2024. They recognized the elevated importance of the enduring Australia-UK relationship in responding together to address these challenges.
They agreed to significantly increase their cooperation to bolster Australia and the UK's defence and national security, enhance economic security and mitigate and address the impacts of climate change. The ministers agreed on the enduring importance of the UK-Australia relationship in delivering economic growth to "our peoples and globally." (end) nbs.rk