Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop talks to journalists
Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop talks to journalists during a news briefing in Kiev July 28, 2014. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has soared to the top of the list of 2014 Most Intriguing People. The WHO magazine hailed her as Australia's Most Intriguing Person largely because of the way she handled the MH17 tragedy. Bishop was aggressive in helping authorities retrieve the bodies of the victims, including 38 Australian residents and citizens.

Bishop told the magazine that she sees herself as the relationship manager of the country. The foreign minister outranked 27-year-old model Lara Bingle and former Miss Universe Australia Jesinta Campbell. The first female deputy leader of the Liberal party also encouraged the government to put more women in the Cabinet. Bishop believes women can make a great contribution and offer different perspectives, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Meanwhile, the foreign minister has kept her distance from the issue of Prime Minister Tony Abbott accusing the critics of his chief of staff as being sexist. News Corp had reported that Queensland MP Warren Entsch had filed a formal complaint after Mr Abbott's assertion. He remarked last week that his chief of staff would not be subject to the same criticism if her name was "Peter" and not Peta.

According to The Age, Bishop said she did not agree with the statement. She explained that she doesn't view the world with a perspective based on gender. When asked if she was sexist, she said she has been called many things but never sexist.

She believes that Mr Abbott's remarks reflected his frustrations over anonymous complaints that he receives about Credlin. Bishop said if people have something to say about the prime minister's office, they have to talk to him.

Previous reports said Bishop's request to attend the climate change conference in Peru was initially blocked by Credlin. However, she insisted that she maintains a good working relationship with Mr Abbott's chief of staff despite past misunderstandings. Fairmax Media reported that Bishop went to the cabinet after the Office of the Prime Minister and had the decision overturned.

Bishop played down the significance of her visit to the prime minister's office and said she only thought it was a "wrong call." She revealed she had a cordial meeting, and the prime minister said he understood where she was coming from.