24 March 2015 - The ASEAN-Philippines National Secretariat of the Department of Foreign Affairs will host the 27^th ASEAN-Australia Forum from March 25 to 26 at Dusit Thani Manila.

An annual meeting between ASEAN and Australia, the Forum will review the progress of ASEAN-Australia cooperation, and discuss shared regional and international interests.

Participating senior official leaders and delegates from 10 ASEAN Member States, the ASEAN Secretariat and Australia will review political-security, economic and socio-cultural cooperation, consistent with the Plan of Action (POA) to Implement the ASEAN-Australia Comprehensive Partnership 2015-2019, which was adopted in August 2014.

The Forum will likewise discuss the future direction of ASEAN-Australia dialogue relations, specifically on the ASEAN-Australia strategic partnership.

The Joint ASEAN-Australia Leaders’ Statement on the 40^th Anniversary of ASEAN-Australia Dialogue Relations Towards a Strategic Partnership for Mutual Benefit was adopted during the 40^th Anniversary of ASEAN-Australia Dialogue Relations in November 2014.

The Philippines, which also hosted the Official Launch of the 40^th Anniversary of ASEAN-Australia Relations on 20 February 2014 in Manila, has served as the country coordinator for ASEAN-Australia dialogue relations since 2012, and is due to turn over its coordinatorship in the middle of 2015. END