SYDNEY, April 9. /TASS/. Australia continues to regard the United States as its key strategic partner, but is stepping up efforts to diversify its foreign policy ties amid increased unpredictability on the part of Washington, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said.

"The US remains our most important strategic partner. We know President [of the US Donald] Trump envisages a very different role for America in the world. We also know this is a much more unpredictable United States. <…> That is why we continue to work with the US. We also have been working very hard to diversify our relationships," she stated.

Wong noted that in recent years, Canberra has been consistently strengthening its engagement with countries in the region, including those in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, while also developing ties with Japan, the European Union, and Canada, thereby expanding its network of international partners.

The foreign minister stressed that diversification of partnerships is necessary to "ensure Australia's place in a world that is more unpredictable."