PRIME MINISTER ABBOTT:
Shinzo it is a real honour to have you in this Parliament. I want to congratulate you for a really moving and heartfelt speech this morning.
I think that speech was truly the speech of a special friend of Australia.
I think today really has been the birth of a special relationship.
I very much appreciate everything that you’ve done in the time we’ve been working together and I am looking forward to ever closer cooperation on a whole range of matters; economic matters, regional matters, defence matters because I think that Australia and Japan have so much to offer to each other and to our region.
PRIME MINISTER ABE:
First of all, thank you very much for hosting last night a wonderful dinner for me – myself – and for my wife as well.
Indeed when, Tony, you visited Japan in April you really started this new relationship between Japan and Australia.
This time, for me to be able to address the Australian Parliament has been a very much honourable moment for me.
After this we will be signing the Japan-Australia EPA as well as the agreement concerning the transfer of defence equipment and technology. I believe that through our economic cooperation as well as foreign policy, security, even cultural exchanges, people-to-people exchanges, these have really widened and strengthened our bilateral relationship.
Moving forward, I do hope that, Tony, we will be able to even further work together on regional issues as well as on global issues.
PRIME MINISTER ABBOTT:
Well I’m looking forward to that very much.
[ends]