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Roundup: Australian PM to visit U.S. president in New York

Xinhua, April 26, 2017 Adjust font size:

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will travel to New York next week to meet U.S. President Donald Trump in what will be the first meeting between the pair in official capacities.

The meeting comes just three months after the pair's phone call, during which Trump reportedly hung up on the Australian prime minister, who was discussing a refugee deal previously struck between the two nations.

In a statement released early on Wednesday, Turnbull said he was "delighted" to confirm the visit, which would coincide with the 75th anniversary of Battle of the Coral Sea, during which Australian and U.S. forces battled the Imperial Japanese Navy for wartime supremacy in the Pacific.

The prime minister said the series of meetings would provide a good opportunity for Australia and the United States to "reaffirm our alliance and the United States' engagement with the Asia-Pacific".

"Australia and the United States share the values of democracy, the rule of law and a commitment to peace, prosperity and security," Turnbull said.

"Our forces continue to serve together in defence of those values in the Middle East where I have visited our troops and discussed the future of the region with U.S. commanders and Defence Secretary James Mattis."

The visit was officially announced by White House spokesperson Sean Spicer in the United States' capital on Tuesday (the U.S. time).

Meanwhile, Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said he expects better "chemistry" between the two leaders, compared with the well-publicized phone call which occurred after Trump was sworn into office in January.

"I think there is something of chemistry when two people meet face-to-face, which is probably not present over a phone call," Joyce said on Wednesday.

"But the Americans, just like the Australians, know how important this relationship is between the United States and Australia."

The pair will meet on the USS Intrepid floating museum in New York on May 4 to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea.

Local media has reported that a number of Australian WWII veterans would be flown to New York for the ceremony, as Australian forces were heavily involved in the battle. Endit