(Washington) Joe Biden on Tuesday praised New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s action against violence and extremism, as a succession of deadly shootings mourn America.
Posted at 12:28 p.m.
The American president, receiving his guest in the Oval Office, praised the role played by the head of the New Zealand government in “the global effort to combat violence and extremism online” after the racist massacre of Christchurch.
A white supremacist opened fire at two mosques in this New Zealand city in 2019, killing 51 people and wounding dozens more.
Joe Biden spoke of “the immense suffering” caused in the United States by a series of deadly shootings, including one in an elementary school in Texas, which claimed the lives of 19 children and 2 teachers last week.
“There are so many that it would be possible to avoid,” said the American president, who has already called for stricter regulation of firearms.
He has also promised to go to Congress to support a difficult legislative attempt in this direction.
Jacinda Ardern offered her country’s “sincere condolences” after the massacre in a school but also after a recent racist killing in Buffalo, New York.
“Our experience in this matter is of course our own, but if there is anything useful that we can share, we are there,” she added.
Less than a month after Christchurch, the archipelago had banned almost all semi-automatic weapons and assault rifles.
The two leaders also plan to discuss the war in Ukraine, the fight against climate change and economic partnership, at a time when Washington wants to strengthen its ties with its allies in Asia and the Pacific, to make against China.