Readout of Vice President Biden's Meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop

Yesterday, Vice President Joe Biden met with Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop at the White House. Building off of Prime Minister Turnbull's visit to Washington, D.C. on January 19, Vice President Biden and Foreign Minister Bishop praised the breadth and depth of the 65 year-old U.S.-Australia alliance. The Vice President and the Foreign Minister discussed the importance of promoting prosperity and building a rules-based order in the Asia Pacific through closer bilateral, intra-regional, and multilateral cooperation. The Vice President thanked Foreign Minister Bishop for Australia's considerable military contributions to the fight against ISIL and for its significant humanitarian assistance in the Middle East.