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Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Part of UK in Australia

29th January 2012

Australia-UK Ministerial Meeting in London

I am currently in London for the 4th AUKMIN meeting which took place on 23/24 January at the prestigious Lancaster House near Buckingham Palace. Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd and Defence Minister Stephen Smith, led a large Australian delegation of senior officials and military officers. They were welcomed by Foreign Secretary William Hague and Defence Secretary Philip Hammond. They also met Prime Minister David Cameron at 10 Downing Street.

The two sides discussed a wide range of foreign policy and security issues. In particular they focused on Asia, on the events that are unfolding in the Gulf following the Arab Spring, on the political and security architecture in the Asia Pacific and the security challenges in the Indian Ocean such as piracy and terrorism. They looked forward to the conference on Somalia which the UK will be hosting in London next month. As the AUKMIN communiqué shows, they also discussed developments in a number of countries including Afghanistan, Burma and North Korea. Kevin Rudd announced publicly that Australia would be mirroring the tougher sanctions which the EU had just imposed on Iran earlier that day.

Now that these AUKMIN meetings are taking place on an annual basis, they are developing a strong momentum. Of course bilateral relations have always been close, but we have seen a real strengthening in the volume and tempo of information sharing and expert cooperation over the last 12 months. It is clear that both sides see much benefit in this. I am certainly conscious of how regularly William Hague and Kevin Rudd speak to each other on the phone, when they are not bumping into each other at the various international meetings which foreign ministers have to attend around the world.  For more on AUKMIN outcomes, watch my latest video blog.

On the way over to Britain, I used the 27 hour flight to read former Australian diplomat Philip Flood’s book “Dancing with Warriors”. It is a fascinating insider account of 40 years of Australian foreign policy including his happy period as High Commissioner to London from 1998 to 2000.

The current Australian High Commissioner in London, John Dauth, who has become a good friend, kindly invited me to the Australia Day Foundation Dinner at Australia House on the Saturday before AUKMIN. It was a fantastic occasion. I was privileged to sit with the legendary Barry Humphries, who had just been chosen as Australian of the Year here, and who gave a hilarious acceptance speech which demonstrated why he is such an international star. The room was full of leaders from various walks of life – government, business, the arts, sport – who do so much to make the relationship between our two peoples so special.

About Paul Madden

Paul Madden has been the British Ambassador to Japan from January 2017. He was Additional Director for Asia Pacific at the FCO in 2015.He was British High Commissioner to Australia…

Paul Madden has been the British Ambassador to Japan from January 2017.

He was Additional Director for Asia Pacific at the FCO in 2015.He was British High Commissioner to Australia until February 2015. Prior to this he was British High Commissioner in Singapore from 2007-2011.

A career diplomat, he was previously Managing Director at UK Trade and Investment (2004-2006), responsible for co-ordinating and
implementing international trade development strategies to support
companies across a wide range of business sectors.

As Assistant Director of Information at the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office (2003-2004) he was responsible for public diplomacy policy,
including managing the FCO funding of the BBC World Service, the British
Council and the Chevening Scholarships programme. He led the team
responsible for the award-winning UK pavilion at the Aichi Expo in Japan
2005.

He was Deputy High Commissioner in Singapore from 2000-2003 and has
also served in Washington (1996-2000) and Tokyo (1988-92). Between
1992-96 he worked on EU enlargement and Environmental issues at the FCO
in London.

Before joining FCO he worked at the Department of Trade and Industry
(1980-87) on a range of industrial sectors and trade policy, including
two years as a minister’s Private Secretary.

He has an MA in Economic Geography from Cambridge University, an MBA
from Durham University, studied Japanese at London University’s School
of Oriental and African Studies, and is a Fellow of the Royal
Geographical Society. His first book, Raffles: Lessons in Business
Leadership, was published in 2003.

Married to Sarah, with three children, he was born in 1959, in Devon.