Malcolm Turnbull has touched down in Berlin for a day of meetings with the German chancellor Angela Merkel ahead of the G20 summit in Turkey.
The Australian prime minister is scheduled to have a private meeting with Merkel, followed by lunch, and a joint press conference.
Given the proximity of the UN climate talks in Paris, and Germany’s ongoing commitments to managing the flow of asylum seekers across Europe from the Syrian conflict, it is anticipated that both issues will be canvassed during the bilateral discussion Friday night Australian time.
The Berlin stop will also see the release of a report paving the way for more business links between Australia and Germany, including specific recommendations allowing more opportunities for collaborative innovation.
Friday’s meetings in Berlin follow the prime minister’s visit on Thursday to Jakarta, which was an attempt to reset one of Australia’s most important foreign policy relationships after a period of diplomatic turbulence.
Turnbull met the Indonesia president Joko Widodo at the presidential palace and later went on a walk through a Jakarta textile market, where he was jostled by a huge crowd.
Turnbull will go on from Berlin to the G20 summit in Turkey, the Apec summit in Manila, and the East Asia summit in Kuala Lumpur before returning to Australia on Monday 23 November.
