"Let me make it clear, the United States intends to honor the agreement… [US] President [Donald] Trump has made it clear that we will honor the agreement, doesn’t mean we admire the agreement," Pence said at a joint press conference with Turnbull on Friday, adding that "actually we’ve initiated the process of fulfilling that agreement subject to the results of the vetting process is that now apply to all refugees in the United States."
In November 2016, then US president Barack Obama and Turnbull concluded a one-time deal to resettle some 1,250 refugees detained in the Australian processing centers on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea and Nauru in the South Pacific. The agreement has reportedly been criticized by US President Donald Trump.
Pence said on Friday that his visit to Sydney reaffirms the strong partnership that exists between the United States and Australia.
The US Vice President highlighted the historic record both countries have dating back to World War I.
