The North East Asia Defence and Security Forum, led by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) and the Department of Defence, has commenced today (23 September 2013) in Sydney.

The aim of this forum is to encourage habits of dialogue among countries to build trust and deeper understanding throughout the region.

The theme of the forum, to be held over two days, is ‘Enhancing security in a multi-polar region’, and topics for discussion include energy security, maritime cooperation and regional architecture.

Academics and officials from Australia, China, Japan, Mongolia, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Russia and the United States have come together to discuss these shared regional security issues.

Mr Neil Orme, First Assistant Secretary International Policy in the Department of Defence, is co-chairing the forum with Peter Jennings, ASPI Executive Director.

Media contacts:

Defence Media Operations (02) 6127 1999

Australian Strategic Policy Institute: Executive Director Peter Jennings (02) 6270 5100