FILE - In this Oct. 6, 2015, file photo, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry gives a news conference at the National Palace in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Kerry and Secretary of Defense Ash Carter are meeting with their Australian counterparts in Boston to discuss security and trade issues. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery, File)
The Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Defense Ash Carter met with their Australian counterparts in Boston on Tuesday to discuss security and trade issues.
The talks with Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Australian Defense Minister Marise Payne focused on the alliance between the two countries and on future regional and global coordination - including in the Asia-Pacific region.
The discussions also dealt ongoing efforts to counter violent extremism, with a spotlight on the future of Afghanistan and the coalition to defeat the Islamic State group.
Kerry and the Australians briefly visited the finish line of the Boston Marathon, where a 2013 terrorist bombing killed three people and wounded more than 260 others.
Other topics included the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement trade deal and the response to the humanitarian crises in the Middle East.
Kerry gave a talk at the Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge later Tuesday.
Secretary of State John Kerry, center right, and Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, center left, walk to the Boston Marathon finish line with race director David McGillivray, left, and runner Bill Rodgers, right, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015, in Boston. Kerry and Secretary of Defense Ash Carter are meeting with their Australian counterparts in Boston to discuss security and trade issues. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
The Associated Press
Secretary of State John Kerry, center, and Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, second from left, visit the Boston Marathon finish line, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015, in Boston. Kerry and Secretary of Defense Ash Carter are meeting with their Australian counterparts in Boston to discuss security and trade issues. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
The Associated Press
Secretary of State John Kerry and Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, center, walk on the Boston Marathon finish line followed by race director David McGillivray, left, and runner Bill Rodgers, second from left, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015, in Boston. Kerry and Secretary of Defense Ash Carter are meeting with their Australian counterparts in Boston to discuss security and trade issues. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
The Associated Press
Secretary of State John Kerry walks with Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop at the Boston Marathon finish line, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015, in Boston. Kerry and Secretary of Defense Ash Carter are meeting with their Australian counterparts in Boston to discuss security and trade issues. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
The Associated Press
Secretary of State John Kerry walks with Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, center, accompanied by Boston Marathon race director David McGillivray, center left, at the Boston Marathon finish line, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015, in Boston. Kerry and Secretary of Defense Ash Carter are meeting with their Australian counterparts in Boston to discuss security and trade issues. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
The Associated Press
Secretary of State John Kerry, and Defense Secretary Ash Carter pose for photos with their Australian counterparts, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, second from left, and Defense Minister Marise Payne, left, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015, in Boston. The four are meeting to talk about the alliance between the countries and future regional and global coordination, including in the Asia-Pacific region. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
The Associated Press
Secretary of State John Kerry shakes hands with Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, left, as Defense Secretary Ash Carter, right, and Australian Defense Minister Marise Payne, left, watch, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015, in Boston. Kerry and Carter are meeting with their Australian counterparts in Boston to discuss security and trade issues. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
The Associated Press