WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden welcomed Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to the White House for a visit on Wednesday, which will include a bilateral meeting, joint press conference and a state dinner.
The day kicked off with a formal arrival ceremony, where the president and first lady Dr. Jill Biden greeted Albanese and his partner Jodie Haydon amid the pomp and circumstance of a band playing patriotic music, including both countries’ national anthems.
Biden touted the relationship between the allies in brief remarks during the ceremony.
“Mr. Prime Minister, the alliance between Australia and the United States has never been more important than it is today, and we have never been more committed than we are today,” the president said.
Biden also briefly mentioned the wars in Ukraine and Israel during his remarks, saying, “Together, we’re standing with Israel against Hamas terrorism. We’re standing with Ukraine against Putin’s tyranny.”
Albanese also mentioned the wars in his brief remarks following Biden, pointing to Australian assistance to Ukraine and Australians’ condemnations of “the atrocities, terror and pitiless brutality of Hamas.”
Biden and Albanese are expected to discuss cybersecurity, submarine cable infrastructure and the new Critical Minerals Task Force, which was launched as a joint venture between the two countries earlier this year, according to senior administration officials.
“We expect to make a big splash with a submarine cable project announcement as well as two important maritime infrastructure announcements relevant to the Pacific Islands,” a senior administration official told reporters on Tuesday.
The meeting also comes before Albanese plans to visit China next month. When asked by a reporter whether the two leaders would discuss the Australian leader’s upcoming trip, a senior administration official said that in every meeting that they have witnessed between American and Australian leaders, China and regional security issues have been discussed.
“I know the president will be interested to share notes and compare details about what we’re seeing with respect to Xi Jinping and China,” a senior administration official said.
The two leaders and their partners will attend a state dinner in the evening, along with Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff. The White House originally planned for the band The B-52’s to perform, but the band is now attending the dinner as guests instead in light of the painfulness of world events, the first lady explained, according to a pool report.
Albanese’s meeting is the fourth foreign leader visit with a state dinner during the Biden administration, according to the administration’s senior director for East Asia and Oceania, Dr. Mira Rapp-Hooper. She added that it is the ninth meeting between the two leaders since Albanese took office in 2022.
“Australia has been and continues to be a fundamental partner in achieving our shared vision of prosperity and stability around the world, and we have stood side by side in every conflict for the past hundred years,” Rapp-Hooper said in a Tuesday press briefing. “That remains especially important today in a moment of grave crisis.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
