Turnbull in US trip to mend relations, discuss regional security

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will on Wednesday depart for a whirlwind trip to the US and meet President Donald Trump for the first time since he took office in January.

The meeting between the two leaders in New York, on the deck of a World War II-era aircraft carrier, the USS Intrepid, coincides with the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea, during which Australian and US forces repelled Japanese Imperial Army, Xinhua news agency reported.

Turnbull will be required back in Australia before the weekend to finalise details of the nation's federal budget, set to be handed down by Treasurer Scott Morrison on Tuesday.

He said the "flying visit" to the US would involve discussion about regional issues and trade.

Turnbull and Trump had an infamous phone call in January, which the US President labelled as his "worst" of the day and reportedly cut short the scheduled one-hour telephone conversation to 25 minutes.

Turnbull before embarking his US trip brushed off concerns that the relationship between the two leaders was already strained following the fallout to the phone call.

"We'll talk about a wide range of security and economic issues," he said.

"(But) reports (of the phone call) were pretty exaggerated. It was a very frank, courteous and forthright call."

By emphasising that his trip will "commemorate and honour" the Battle of the Coral Sea -- which protected Australia from a Japanese invasion, Turnbull would like to remind the US the camaraderie that both countries share since the World War II.

"It's a great event that we're both attending. It's on the USS Intrepid and there'll be both Australian and American veterans. This was the sea battle in 1942 which was the first time the Japanese were turned back and defeated," Turnbull talked about the scheduled ceremony on Wednesday.

"This was a great turning point in the war, so it's really a time to celebrate, commemorate and honour the rock solid alliance between the US and Australia."

While describing the year 1942 as "bleak," Turnbull and Trump are facing with the gravest regional security situation in many decades as the tension on the Korean peninsula escalated recently.

Turnbull also said the issue of Korean peninsula will be top of the topics between him and Trump.

The Labour opposition has also weighed in before Turnbull's visit to the US. Labour's defence spokesman Richard Marles said maintaining a close relationship with the US was crucial to Australia's prosperity.

"When you assess the value of the alliance with the US -- irrespective of who is the President and who is the Prime Minister -- it becomes clear how important this relationship is to Australia in terms of defence, economy, in terms of scientific cooperation and in medical research."

"So I think it is really important that the alliance is invested in by Australia because it remains the centrepiece of our foreign policy and the nation's defence strategy," Marles said.

--IANS

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