Morrison renews ties with foreign friends

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has a packed agenda for his trip overseas to the Solomon Islands, UK and Singapore, including D-Day commemorations.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison

The Prime Minister is visiting Solomon Islands. Source: AAP

Scott Morrison will focus on renewing ties with old friends on his first trip overseas since being re-elected as prime minister.

Mr Morrison and his wife Jenny will travel to the Solomon Islands, the UK and Singapore over the next week with a packed agenda.

The federal government has a strong focus on the Pacific, stepping up Australia's engagement in the region, and Mr Morrison is keen to show this in action.

He will meet with Solomons prime minister Manasseh Sogavare, who was elected for his fourth stint as leader in April.

The pair have spoken before but this is their first meeting in person.

It is the first visit by an Australian prime minister since 2008 and events will mark the long cooperation between the nations during the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI), which formally ended in 2017, and celebrate connections between people including through sport and education.

Mr Morrison is expected to make announcements building on the themes of the Pacific step-up: economic development, infrastructure, labour mobility and tackling shared security challenges.

In London, the prime minister will meet British economic and security officials.

He'll also address the Australia-UK Chamber of Commerce, underlining his government's commitment to the economic partnership with Britain and plans to move quickly on a free trade agreement once Brexit is resolved.

He arrives in London at a time of turmoil, with British prime minister Theresa May planning to step down as leader of the Conservatives on June 7 after repeated Brexit failures.

US president Donald Trump will also be in town, drawing the attention of much of the UK political establishment.

On June 5, Mr Morrison will represent Australia at the 75th anniversary commemorations of the D-Day landings.

The events in Portsmouth, hosted by the Queen alongside more than 300 WWII veterans, will tell the story of D-Day through musical performance, testimonial readings and military displays, including a fly-past of 25 modern and historical aircraft.

It will also give Mr Morrison the opportunity to talk with world leaders including Mrs May, Mr Trump, French president Emmanuel Macron, German chancellor Angela Merkel, and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau.

He's hoping to build support for his proposed G20 initiative to stop terrorists exploiting social media, along with discussions on other topics including Iran, Syria, the global economy and world trade.

In Singapore, he will join his counterpart Lee Hsien Loong for the annual leaders meeting, joined by Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne and Trade Minister Simon Birmingham.

At a lunch with some 400 businesspeople, Mr Morrison plans to highlight Australia's commitments to deepening economic and security ties with Southeast Asia.


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Published 31 May 2019 2:08pm
Source: AAP


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