Buenos Aires, Argentina - Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan met yesterday in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop on the margins of the G-20 Foreign Ministers meeting. The two leaders discussed the importance of the United States and Australia continuing to work together to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Deputy Secretary Sullivan and Foreign Minister Bishop discussed on-going efforts to ensure North Korea’s complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization. The Deputy Secretary and the Foreign Minister agreed on the importance of the principles of freedom of navigation and overflight, especially in the South China Sea. The two leaders pledged to continue the close cooperation between the United States and Australia that has served as a linchpin of the security and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region for more than 70 years.