Australian Foreign Minister leaves ASEAN meeting during Lavrov’s speech

Aug. 5 () –

The Australian Foreign Minister, Penny Wong, left this Friday a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian States, which was attended by 25 other ministers, during the intervention of her Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in protest at the invasion of Ukraine.

Although Russia’s actions and its military exercises near Taiwan have become the main topic of conversation in the framework of the summit that is being held in Cambodia, the parties have addressed the war in Ukraine.

Thus, when Lavrov has proceeded to intervene, Wong has decided to leave the room as a sign of protest, according to information from the newspaper ‘The Sydney Morning Herald’. “The minister cannot sit and listen to Lavrov’s attempts to justify the murder of innocent Ukrainians,” a spokesman said.

Unlike other meetings at the regional level held this year, this has been a completely improvised performance, as they have pointed out. However, Australia has been represented by a senior official during his absence.

The minister said this Friday that she was concerned about the launch of ballistic missiles by China towards the Taiwanese coast after the visit of the president of the United States House of Representatives to the island, an issue that has raised controversy.

“Australia shares the region’s concern about increased Chinese military activity and the danger of miscalculation. We call for restraint to reduce tension,” he said, according to a statement.

Thus, he has assured that “he does not want changes in the ‘status quo’ of the Taiwan Strait” and has regretted the “destabilizing and disproportionate” actions of the Chinese Government.