It was a pleasure to welcome Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel to Australia this week, where they joined Foreign Minister Julie Bishop MP and Defence Minister David Johnston for this year’s AUSMIN. I was honored to participate in the wide-ranging discussions that reflected our common interests and shared values in addressing challenges around the world (read the leaders’ take on AUSMIN below). I was proud to witness the signing of the Force Posture Agreement, which will further deepen our historic alliance. We are grateful to Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove, who kindly invited us to convene at his beautiful, historic official residence. As we arrived at Admiralty House on a rainy morning in Sydney, a rainbow suddenly appeared as the delegations gathered for an official photo. It was clear then that our Australian hosts had pulled out all the stops to make this AUSMIN an extraordinary one! I want to thank Ministers Bishop and Johnston for being exceptional co-hosts for the event, as well as the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Department of Defence, and the Ceremonial and Hospitality Branch within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, who had been planning and collaborating for weeks with us to support the visit of our Secretaries and PACOM Commander Admiral Locklear. It takes a lot of people and effort to make such a visit a success, so I would also like to recognize the NSW Government and NSW Police, Sydney Airport, the Australian National Maritime Museum, the Lowy Institute, the Federal Opposition, and the wonderful teams at the hotels where our delegations stayed. Their tireless work helped to advance the longstanding and very special friendship between the United States and Australia. After Secretary Kerry departed Sydney yesterday morning, he flew on to the Solomon Islands, where he honored WWII veterans in a ceremony at the Guadalcanal American Memorial. He then travelled to Hawaii, where he delivered a major policy address on U.S. engagement in the Asia-Pacific region at the East-West Center. You can read his remarks below. The leaders take on AUSMIN: goo.gl/DyNct7 Secretary Kerrys remarks: goo.gl/RiyTCk
Posted on: Thu, 14 Aug 2014 05:11:54 +0000
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