India and Australia undertook an extensive review of their comprehensive strategic partnership on Tuesday, as Foreign Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar and his Australian counterpart Penny Wong explored ways to strengthen cooperation and collaboration in key domains of defence, security and trade. Jaishankar and Wong engaged in the Foreign Minister’s Framework Dialogue in Canberra , a day subsequent to India inaugurating its fourth consulate in Brisbane indicating the quick advancement of bilateral ties alongside burgeoning collaboration between both the nations within the QUAD framework.
The bilateral comprehensive strategic coalition is witnessing consistent growth epitomised by fortified political ties, resilient security and defence diplomacy, augmented trade engagements, enhanced mobility and increasingly profound educational linkages, Jaishankar remarked on ‘X’ after the meeting. The discussions also encompassed an extensive plethora of regional and international issues, including respective neighbourhood dynamics, the Indo-Pacific framework, ongoing conflicts in West Asia and Ukraine as well as broader global strategic considerations, he conveyed.
India and Australia also launched an annual summit of their leaders last year & the economic cooperation and trade agreements have borne substantial outcomes with bilateral trade volumes reaching an impressive Aus $ 48 Billion in 2023, Jaishankar declared during a joint media briefing alongside his Australian counterpart Minister Wong.
Australian Universities pioneered the establishment of campuses within India & the armed forces of both the nations are increasingly engaged in collaborative military exercises, he remarked , “In terms of global concerns , we deliberated on the international strategic landscape primarily focussing upon, Ukraine, Indo-Pacific and the Middle East”, he elaborated. Wong also emphasised India’s pivotal role in ensuring the stability of the region in question and said she and Jaishankar deliberated on the ‘next stage of ambition’ in the comprehensive strategic alliance.
She announced that the Australian Government is poised to earmark Aus $ 1.6 Million in grants for a total of six initiatives under the auspices of the Australia-India Cyber & Critical Technology Partnership. These endeavours which focus on pivotal areas such as undersea cable infrastructure, the establishment of responsible principles governing quantum technologies and the reinforcement of digital public infrastructure would be executed in partnership with the Australia India Institute, the Australian National University (ANU), the Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO),the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, Monash University, and the National Institute of Strategic Resilience.
Jaishankar additionally articulated on ‘X’ , that he engaged in a dialogue with Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles , wherein they deliberated on collaborative efforts within the framework of the comprehensive strategic partnership, as well as the evolving dynamics in the Indo-Pacific region and it’s broader geopolitical landscape.It is important to note here that both the leaders would attend the ‘Raisina Down Under’ as well,the Australian iteration of India’s Raisina Dialogue.
