CANBERRA, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Tuesday he is looking forward to welcoming newly-elected New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to Australia on Sunday, in what will be Ardern's first visit here as head of government.
Confirming the visit in a media release, Turnbull said that Australia and New Zealand have shared a close bond for decades, likening the relationship between the two nations to that of a "family".
"Australia and New Zealand are not just mates, we are family," Turnbull said on Tuesday, "Our relationship is built on a solid foundation of economic, security, community and historical ties."
The Prime Minister said in addition to congratulating Ardern on her successful election campaign, "economic integration" would be one of the key focus points when they meet in Sydney.
"Our economic integration over the past 30 years is a remarkable success story," Turnbull said.
"In 2016, our two-way trade reached 24.8 billion Australian dollars and two-way investment totalled 153 billion Australian dollars."
"Prime Minister Ardern and I will discuss how we can further our trade and economic opportunities and promote jobs and skills development in both countries."
Turnbull added that there would also be discussions relating to the Australia-New Zealand defense partnership, as well as other regional issues in the Asia-Pacific region.
"Our discussions will cover a wide range of topics including the forthcoming APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) Leaders' Meeting in Vietnam, the East Asia Summit in the Philippines and how we can work most effectively together with our South Pacific neighbors."
