Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard will meet with U.S. President Barack Obama in the United States early next month, an official said on Monday.
Gillard will arrive in Washington on March 6 and will spend five days in the United States, splitting her time between Washington and New York.
According to Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet's national security adviser Duncan Lewis, Gillard will meet with the President and senior officials in his administration, including Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, during her visit. She will also attend meetings of the United Nations in New York.
Lewis said the visit aims to progress Australia's bilateral relationship with its major ally. "And to progress our multinational agenda," Lewis told a Senate estimates hearing in Canberra on Monday.
The hearing was told that Obama, who has earlier canceled visits to Australia, extended the invitation to Gillard during an international economic forum in Japan in November 2010.
The hearing was told that the intention for Obama to visit Australia remains, but no plans have been made.