Australia to Support US in Migration, Border Protection Policy

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Australian authorities will support the United States in implementation of strict policy in the spheres of immigration and border protection, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Monday.

"I'm confident that the Australian government and the US government will continue to support each other in ensuring that we can implement our strong immigration and border protection policies," Bishop said, as quoted by The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.

The minister added that Canberra and Washington had a long history of relations and she wanted to ensure that the citizens of both countries would preserve the rights to visit the other state.

Bishop's position was voiced against the backdrop of the critical statements made by a number of politicians around the world, such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in regard to the recent decision of Washington to introduce entry restrictions for the citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries, such as Yemen and Syria.

Australia and the United States have been cooperation on the issue of undocumented migration for quite a long time. In 2016 the two countries have announced an accord on resettlement of the refugees from Australia's detention centers to the United States.