London: A possible free trade agreement between Britain and Australia has been raised at Foreign Minister Julie Bishop's first meeting with Boris Johnson since his shock appointment as Foreign Secretary.
Speaking to Fairfax Media from Washington where Ms Bishop is attending the first joint Counter-ISIL Coalition Foreign and Defence Ministers' meetings, the Foreign Minister said the pair's first talks were "convivial, very friendly and warm."
Ms Bishop is one of the few foreign dignitaries, Britain's new chief diplomat has not yet offended or insulted. The pair met at the UK Embassy in Washington after earlier formal proceedings.
Attending plenary session of meeting of Ministers of Global Coalition to Counter ISIL @BorisJohnson #Steinmeier pic.twitter.com/D1AW6AJ8m8— Julie Bishop (@JulieBishopMP) July 21, 2016
"He's an extremely amusing, intelligent man. We discussed a number of very serious matters including the Iraq and Syria, Yemen and Libya situations," Ms Bishop told the ABC.
"We also spoke about the opportunities for a trade deal between Australia and the United Kingdom as a result of Brexit and we also discussed the ramifications and implications of Britain leaving the European Union."
They also discussed China's aggressive behaviour in the South China Sea which is expected to also feature heavily at Britain and Australia's upcoming AUKMIN defence talks scheduled in the UK, possibly for September this year.
The pair later met at the UK embassy in Washington. Photo: Supplied
Britain's foreign office regards Australia as a strong and stable presence in the Asia-Pacific and vitally important in safeguarding the stability of the region.
Having already exchanged text messages, Ms Bishop said she raised with Mr Johnson Australia's hopes of striking a free trade agreement with the European Union. Trade Minister Steven Ciobo also says Australia is interested in striking a trade agreement with Britain but will need to wait until the United Kingdom has formally left the EU - a process which could take at least two years.
In the meantime, Australia wants to formally begin talks with the EU. Ms Bishop sought Britain's support for the move. Mr Johnson indicated Britain would be seeking its own trade deal with Australia.
As the leader of the official and successful Vote Leave campaign for Britain to leave the EU, Mr Johnson commonly referred to Australia as one of the economic powerhouses around the world that Britain could strike a trade deal with, if it were allowed to leave the EU, which strikes trade deals on behalf of the single market. But Australia is expected to face tough protectionist tendencies from EU member countries, including from Ireland over beef and France and Italy over canned tomatoes.
Free trade agreements have been at the heart of the Coalition's foreign and economic policies since winning office in 2013. Under former prime minister Tony Abbott and the now retired trade minister Andrew Robb, Australia finalised trade agreements with China, Japan and South Korea.
Mr Johnson is known to be one of Westminster's biggest supporters of stronger relations with the Commonwealth countries, especially Australia. He has previously supported easier migration for British and Australian citizens living and working in each other's countries. He also flagged introducing an "Australian-style points immigration system" aimed at ending free movement for EU citizens and instead focussing on skills, including English language proficiency. Vote Leave campaigners believe such a system would shift from favouring non-English speaking EU citizens and instead favour Australians and other Commonwealth citizens.
Upon Mr Johnson's appointment, which was met with mockery and dismay in some quarters, Mr Abbott praised the appointment as in Australia's interests.
Good to see @BorisJohnson as the new UK foreign secretary. He's a good friend of Australia. pic.twitter.com/mMztmvDoOP— Tony Abbott (@TonyAbbottMHR) July 14, 2016
