Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull is set to meet with Donald Trump at the White House later this month.
The pair will sit down on February 23 to talk terrorism, economic growth and expanding security and defence cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, the US President’s press office confirmed on Friday.
‘President Trump looks forward to further enhancing our partnership and alliance, and demonstrating our shared commitment to the democratic values that underpin peace and prosperity around the world,’ Mr Trump’s press secretary said in a statement.
Malcolm Turnbull (left) is set to meet with Donald Trump (right) at the White House later this month
The meeting of the two leaders was confirmed by Mr Trump’s press secretary in a statement on Friday
The confirmation of the visit comes a year after details of a robust phone call between the two leaders (pictured) was leaked to US media
The confirmation of the visit comes a year after details of a robust phone call between the two leaders was leaked to US media.
During their first official telephone conversation last February, Mr Trump hit out at a ‘bad deal’ made by the Obama administration to accept refugees from Australian detention centres.
‘I hate taking these people. I guarantee you they are bad,’ Mr Trump told Mr Turnbull, according to a call transcript.
Mr Turnbull tried to clarify the detainees on Manus Island and Nauru were in fact economic refugees and not criminals, before Mr Trump labelled the pair’s exchange as ‘ridiculous’.
‘I have been making these calls all day and this is the most unpleasant call all day … Putin was a pleasant call,’ he said, before honouring the deal.
It’s expected Mr Turnbull will raise the issue of the US taking part in the revised Trans-Pacific Partnership, after Mr Trump signalled he could re-engage in the trade pact if it was in his nation’s interests.
During their first official telephone conversation last February, Mr Trump hit out at a ‘bad deal’ made by the Obama administration to accept refugees from Australian detention centres
It’s expected Mr Turnbull will raise the issue of the US taking part in the revised Trans-Pacific Partnership
The leaders held a face-to-face meeting in New York in May (pictured), at which Mr Trump declared he and Mr Turnbull ‘get along great’
The White House also flagged a celebration of ‘100 years of mateship through war, peace, and prosperity, charting the course for the coming century of partnership’.
The leaders held a face-to-face meeting in New York in May, at which Mr Trump declared he and Mr Turnbull ‘get along great’.
Mr Trump also addressed the phone call during the meeting, saying it ‘was a little bit of fake news’ and that they ‘weren’t babies’.
‘You guys exaggerated that call. That was an exaggeration,’ Mr Trump said.
He added: ‘We get along great. Always do.’