Anthony Albanese will attend Pope Leo XIV’s official inauguration in Rome, where he will meet with world leaders for the first time since his election victory.
It’s unclear whether it will present the prime minister with the opportunity of a long-awaited meeting with US President Donald Trump.
Announcing his new ministry in Canberra on Monday, Mr Albanese confirmed he would attend the inauguration mass on Sunday after a trip to Jakarta to meet Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.
“It will be an opportunity to have bilateral discussions with a range of world leaders who will be there, people I haven’t met before face-to-face,” he told reporters.
A meeting has been lined up with Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney, with other leaders reaching out to organise talks on the sidelines of the event.
Mr Albanese said it wasn’t clear if Mr Trump would be attending the inauguration.
The pair are yet to to meet face-to-face after Mr Trump won a second term, but the US president still cast a heavy shadow over the federal election campaign by imposing tariffs on Australia and other trading partners.
Voters overwhelmingly viewed Mr Trump as being bad for Australia and the coalition struggled to distance itself from his brand of populist conservatism.
Mr Trump’s treatment of America’s northern neighbour heavily influenced Mr Carney’s comeback victory in the Canadian election.
Australian goods are subject to a 10 per cent baseline tariff, while all steel and aluminium imports to the US have been slapped with 25 per cent tariffs.
The government has tempered expectations on whether it can strike a deal with the US to remove tariffs on Australian exports.
Mr Albanese said he would meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to discuss if a free trade deal with the European Union could be advanced.
Previous negotiations have stalled as Australia sought greater market access for its agricultural products.
“We chose not to conclude that, because it wasn’t in Australia’s national interest, but quite clearly, in today’s uncertain world, with tariffs and trade issues being so central, no doubt there will be discussions,” Mr Albanese said.
https://thewest.com.au/politics/albanese-flags-meetings-with-world-leaders-in-rome-c-18667755
