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BOSTON (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Defense Ash Carter met with their Australian counterparts in Boston on Tuesday to discuss security and trade issues.
The talks with Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Australian Defense Minister Marise Payne focused on the alliance between the two countries and on future regional and global coordination — including in the Asia-Pacific region.
The discussions also dealt ongoing efforts to counter violent extremism, with a spotlight on the future of Afghanistan and the coalition to defeat the Islamic State group.
Kerry and the Australians briefly visited the finish line of the Boston Marathon, where a 2013 terrorist bombing killed three people and wounded more than 260 others.
Other topics included the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement trade deal and the response to the humanitarian crises in the Middle East.
Kerry gave a talk at the Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge later Tuesday.
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