PRESIDENT OBAMA:
Well, it’s wonderful to have an opportunity to visit with Prime Minister Abbott. We had a chance to meet when I had the great honor of addressing the Australian Parliament. And we are so glad to be able to return the favor in the Prime Minister’s first visit here to the Oval Office.
We don’t have a better friend in the world, as well as the Asia Pacific region, than Australia. They are a treaty ally. We cooperate on a whole range of issues. Historically, there hasn’t been a fight that the United States was in that Australia wasn’t standing shoulder to shoulder with us. And most recently, in Afghanistan, Australian troops have made enormous contributions and made enormous sacrifices, and we’re very grateful to them for that.
We had the opportunity this morning to discuss a wide range of issues, many of them focused on the importance of the Asia Pacific region. We discussed the security cooperation that is continuing to deepen between our two nations as treaty allies. In addition to the Marines that are now in Darwin and the rotations that have been established, we actually have arrived at additional agreements around force postures that will enhance the bilateral cooperation between our militaries and give us additional reach throughout this very important part of the world. And we’re grateful for the cooperation there.
I should note that Australia, under the Prime Minister’s leadership, is increasing its defense budget, even under tough times, recognizing that we all have to make sure that we’re doing our fair share to help maintain global order and security.
We had an opportunity to discuss the strong commercial ties between our two countries. And both of us have been very invested in trying to bring the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the TPP, to a successful outcome. Negotiations continue, but Australia has been a very constructive partner in that process, and we both agree that not only can this agreement help to bring about jobs and growth for our respective populations, but it will also help establish the kinds of norms and free market principles throughout the region that will be important for our long-term prosperity.
We had an opportunity to discuss the work that we try to do in the region with organizations like ASEAN to maintain basic rules of the road when it comes to maritime issues, the South China Sea. Obviously, both the United States and Australia have enormous trade relationships with China, and we both agree that it’s important to continue to see China prosper and rise. But what’s also important is that as China emerges as this great world power that it also is helping to reinforce and abide by basic international law and norms.
And we had an opportunity to discuss some of the hotspots and international concerns that are on the front page of the papers over the last several weeks and months. I shared with him my views after my trip to Europe about the situation in Ukraine and the possibility of still resolving that issue in a diplomatic fashion, but thanked the Australians for joining with us and being firm with the Russians about their need to abide by international law and the application of sanctions and other consequences when they do not.
We discussed the situation in the Middle East, and obviously the concerns that we have around Iraq and Syria. Both our countries are potentially threatened by jihadists and freedom fighters, as they call them, that are going into Syria, getting trained in terrorist tactics and then potentially coming back to our countries and could end up being a significant threat to our homeland, as well.
And we also had an opportunity to talk about North Korea and the continuing threat there and the importance for us to maintain vigilance, including additional coordination around protection from potential missile strikes from North Korea.
Finally, I indicated to the Prime Minister that I’m very much looking forward to visiting Australia – one of my favorite countries to visit – for the G20. And I assured him that we want to cooperate in any ways that we can to ensure that Australia’s renowned hospitality is also coupled with a very productive set of G20 meetings to talk global growth.
So I think that the Prime Minister and I share a whole range of concerns, but we also see a whole range of opportunities out there for increased cooperation. And I’m very glad that he’s had the chance to come by today and have a very productive meeting.
So thank you, Tony.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well thank you so much Barack. This has been a really full and thorough engagement over the last hour or so. Obviously I’m here to thank the United States for its deepening engagement in our region. I’m here to further entrench our security and our economic cooperation. I’m here to celebrate the extraordinary friendship between the Australian and the American peoples and I’m thrilled to have you coming to the G20 in November because we have a very important job in November in Brisbane to accelerate economic growth around the world so that we have more prosperity and more jobs.
Obviously right now there are a whole range of security issues which the United States is leading on and where Australia is doing our part to secure the freedom and the safety of the world and its citizens.
I want to assure the President that Australia will be an utterly dependable ally of the United States. The United States has had to bear many burdens, many burdens. The United States has paid a very high price to secure freedom and prosperity for many countries – not just itself – and the United States should never have to do all that work on its own.
So, it’s been a terrific discussion and I think many good things will come from this meeting today.
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