From left, Anthony Albanese, Justin Trudeau and Christopher Luxon meet informally. Photo: RNZ / Craig McCulloch
Talking crises over coffee, the leaders of New Zealand, Australia and Canada have convened at a Laotian café, seizing the opportunity to meet on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit (EAS).
The meeting on Thursday afternoon (NZT) was organised by Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is primarily in Vientiane to meet members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean).
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Australia's Anthony Albanese are both attending the EAS as founding members.
Their conversation, while informal, was expected to focus on geopolitical tensions, including the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
The three leaders have previously issued joint statements on the matter, taking a harder line against Israel than other countries like the US or UK.
Speaking at the start of the meeting, Trudeau said it was a pleasure to sit down with friends, noting that the trio had worked "very closely" in their responses to the situation in the Middle East.
"We are like-minded in pushing for de-escalation of the violence, protection of civilians and humanitarian aid coming in, and also all of us are committed to a path to a two-state solution."
Media observe the three leaders. Photo: RNZ / Craig McCulloch
Luxon described the opportunity to meet as "really important" and highlighted the countries' shared values around nationstate sovereignty and the international rules-based system.
"We see a world that I think is moving from rules to power," Luxon said.
"The way that we've been able to work together and find areas of common interest and amplify our positions, on positions like the Middle East, has been very important."
Australia's Anthony Albanese also noted the trio's desire for "peace and security and prosperity for all citizens in the Middle East, whether they be Israeli, Palestinian, Lebanese".
Speaking to media earlier in the day, Luxon said he was supportive of the three countries continuing to work together, issuing statements on shared positions.
"I think there's power in doing it as a threesome, rather than just doing it on our own," he said.
Luxon said he remained "deeply concerned" about the possibility of conflict in the Middle East escalating further.
"The loss of human life is catastrophic," he said.
"It's not going to be solved by more military action. And when we're seeing innocent civilians being impacted in the way that they are, we need the parties to get back round the table and actually negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza."
Luxon said it did not appear that Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was taking heed of the calls from the international community.
"We're trying to make the call to say, look, you've got to exercise restraint, and that the loss of innocent civilian life is unacceptable."
Luxon went straight from the CANZ café gathering to a more formal bilateral with the Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet.
Overnight Luxon has one-on-one meetings scheduled with the leaders of Laos, Vietnam and India, before a gala dinner with all summit attendees.
