By MJ Lee

CNN National Politics Reporter

(CNN) -- Former Vice President Joe Biden will be interviewed by Mitt Romney Friday evening at Romney's annual gathering in Utah of donors and business leaders.

"VP Biden is attending because he believes in bipartisanship and the importance of keeping good lines of communication open across the aisle," Biden spokeswoman Kate Bedingfield said in an email.

One person familiar said it was Romney associates who extended the invitation to Biden. The invitation was extended many weeks ago, the person said.

Romney and Biden both considered running for president in 2016, only to defer to candidates they saw as having an overwhelming financial advantage (Jeb Bush on the Republican side; Hillary Clinton on the Democratic side).