CANBERRA, July 2 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declined an invitation to the upcoming NATO summit in Washington, Xinhua reported.
The Australian government on Tuesday said Albanese will not attend the summit in Washington from July 9 to July 11, marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in 1949.
However, the government has stated that Richard Marles, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, will represent Australia at the summit.
Albanese was invited to the meeting along with the leaders of Japan, South Korea and New Zealand.
A spokesperson for Marles said in a statement that he would advance Australia's security, economic, and trade agenda at the summit.
Nine Entertainment newspapers reported that Albanese rejected the invitation in order to focus on domestic policies.
-- BERNAMA-XINHUA
