HIS EXCELLENCY MR SHINZO ABE, PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN:
[Translator]
It is my and our honour to have this special session of the National Security Council with the participation of Malcolm today.
Japan and Australia form a special and strategic partnership under which we share fundamental values, including freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law as well as our strategic interests.
As we both are located in the Indo-Pacific region we, being Japan and Australia, share an important responsibility for ensuring regional peace and prosperity. In particular, as maritime stabilises Japan and Australia should materialise further cooperation so as to realise a free and open Indo-Pacific.
So, today I very much look forward to having a discussion with you Malcolm, together with my fellow Ministers, on our bilateral cooperation for the realisation of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
So I would like to ask Prime Minister Turnbull to have his opening statement.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thank you Prime Minister.
The Japan-Australia relationship is remarkable for what has been achieved through our common interests and shared values.
The ground-breaking 1957 Commerce Agreement agreed by Prime Ministers Menzies and Prime Minister Kishi your grandfather.
And in 2007 the Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation, signed by Prime Minister Howard and yourself. And the leadership that you demonstrated and worked together so effectively to realise the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership.
This has been a great collaboration Shinzo and I want to thank you for the leadership you’ve shown and the way in which we’ve been able to work together to ensure the values that we defend and that we advance, of free trade, open markets and rule of law in our region and throughout the world. And the ones that we advocate to defend, and we do so together.
In these times our respective strategic partnership is more important than ever, I’m very honoured to be invited to join you here at you National Security Meeting.
[ENDS]