Boris Johnson And Joe Biden To Agree New 'Atlantic Charter' During US President's Visit
The US leader will meet Boris Johnson during his first official visit to the UK (PA)
2 min read
President Biden is set for his first face-to-face meeting with the Prime Minister in Cornwall on Thursday.
The two leaders are expected to agree to a new "Atlantic Charter" to help "build back better" from the coronavirus pandemic during the President's first official visit to the UK.
The new charter is modelled on the agreement signed between by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941 to establish joint goals for the post-war world.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Johnson said the plan would be "crucial for the future of the world's stability and prosperity".
It is expected the new charter will agree on a joint approach on global defence and security as well as efforts to tackle international threats from climate change and cyber attacks.
"While Churchill and Roosevelt faced the question of how to help the world recover following a devastating war, today we have to reckon with a very different but no less intimidating challenge - how to build back better from the coronavirus pandemic," Johnson said.
"And as we do so, cooperation between the UK and US, the closest of partners and the greatest of allies, will be crucial for the future of the world's stability and prosperity.
"The agreements President Biden and I will make today, rooted as they are in our shared values and outlook, will form the foundation of a sustainable global recovery.
"Eighty years ago the US President and British Prime Minister stood together promising a better future.
"Today we will do the same."
The leaders are expected to discuss priority plans for restarting travel between the two countries after they were halted as a result of international restrictions implemented during the pandemic.
They are also expected to agree on a joint plan to prevent any future coronavirus outbreaks by improving genomic sequencing capabilities and investigations of new variants of the virus.
Plans for the new 'Atlantic Charter' come after it was reported that Boris Johnson hoped to ditch the use of the term "special relationship" because he believed it seemed "needy and weak".
Speaking ahead of his visit, Biden said the eight-day trip to Europe was about "realising America's renewed commitment to our allies and partners".
The US President will also meet the Queen on Sunday following the conclusion of the G7 summit, before travelling to Belgium to attend a NATO summit and joint US-EU meeting.
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