Blinken spoke with Australian counterpart about joint Indo-Pacific efforts

Washington, Nov 4 (UNI/Sputnik) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne about their countries’ joint efforts in the Indo-Pacific region, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a readout of the conversation.

“Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke today with Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne to continue our ongoing efforts to ensure a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific following September’s Australia-United States Ministerial (AUSMIN) meetings in Washington,” Price said on Wednesday.

The two leaders also discussed the trilateral Australia-United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) partnership and its efforts to uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific, Price said.

Blinken and Payne renewed their pledge to collective work in the region to “build back better” from the COVID-19 pandemic, Price added.

The United States recently agreed to sell Australia nuclear-powered submarines as part of the AUCUS partnership’s efforts in the Indo-Pacific, prompting a diplomatic feud with France, who had a previous agreement with Canberra to provide submarines.