Senior UK ministers travel to Australia for defence and security talks

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Foreign Secretary Liz Truss attends a news conference with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid at the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office in London, Britain, November 29, 2021. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's foreign and defence ministers, Liz Truss and Ben Wallace, will travel to Australia this week for talks on defence and security ties, the British foreign office said on Wednesday.

"With malign forces threatening global peace and stability it is vital that close allies like the UK and Australia show robust vigilance in defence of freedom and democracy," Truss said in a statement.

The visit comes after Britain, alongside the United States, signed a landmark agreement in September to provide Australia with the technology and capability to deploy nuclear-powered submarines.

The two ministers will meet their Australian counterparts foreign minister Marise Payne and defence minister Peter Dutton in Sydney.

Truss who begins her visit on Wednesday, will also sign an agreement on infrastructure cooperation during a later visit to Adelaide as she seeks to align Britain's economic objectives more closely with its diplomatic agenda.

(Reporting by William James, Editing by Paul Sandle)