Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh,  leaders of ASEAN countries, and ASEAN Secretary General at the welcoming ceremony (Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac)

The meeting was chaired by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his fiancée in Melbourne on Tuesday. The special summit, taking place from Monday to Wednesday (March 4-6), is an important milestone in Australia’s shared history with the region. It demonstrates the country’s commitment to strengthening cooperation with Southeast Asia.

Topics high on the agenda of the summit will be business, emerging leaders, climate and clean energy, and maritime cooperation. In addition, there will be a business forum, a Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Conference, a Climate and Clean Energy Forum, and a Maritime Cooperation Conference.

Australia was the first country to establish a dialogue partnership with ASEAN four years ago and has become ASEAN’s first comprehensive strategic partner. Currently, ASEAN is Australia’s second most important trading partner.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh is scheduled to attend the plenary session of the summit and the narrow session on Wednesday.