Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, left, poses for a photo with New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern prior to talks in Queenstown, New Zealand, on May 31, 2021. (DEREK CHENG / NZ HERALD VIA AP)
WELLINGTON – New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern met with her Australian counterpart Scott Morrison for the annual Australia-New Zealand Leaders' Meeting on Monday in Queenstown, the first face-to-face meeting between them since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
They discussed a range of issues from trade, climate change to COVID-19 response and cooperation.
It was the first in-person meeting between New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison since February last year
It was their first in-person meeting since February last year, partly thanks to the two-way quarantine-free travel bubble across the Tasman Sea.
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"The Australia-New Zealand relationship is unique in its closeness; we are partners and allies, and we share a relationship of family, of whānau (community). Through our single economic market, our people-to-people ties and our shared interests in the region and the world, Australia and New Zealand stand together," reads a joint statement released by the two prime ministers.
They agreed to continue cooperation on COVID-19 vaccines, including research and development. The prime ministers undertook to support efforts to ensure the free international movement of medical goods, including vaccines and vaccine components.
They noted opportunities to collaborate on initiatives to extend travel options for Pacific neighbors when safe to do so, including through the trans-Tasman quarantine-free travel zone, so as to reconnect with the wider world, according to the statement.
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Ardern and Morrison agreed to sustain close and valuable cooperation on climate change, including in the Pacific and on agricultural emissions, according to the statement.
They reiterated their support for the multilateral trading system, and the importance of a well-functioning World Trade Organization in promoting sustainable global economic growth and prosperity, including as part of the COVID-19 recovery, according to the statement.