EAM Jaishankar’s Australia visit another sign of growing convergence on strategic & economic issues

With Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expected to travel to India in March, the recent visit of India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar highlighted the growing convergence between the two sides on a range of issues, particularly on strategic and economic affairs. During his visit to attend the inaugural Raisina@Sydney conference on February 18, EAM Jaishankar also met PM Albanese. According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), he called on Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to discuss various matters of mutual interest, including forthcoming high-level exchanges. While there is no official announcement on his visit yet, the Australian Prime Minister tweeted, "It was wonderful to meet with Jaishankar this morning ahead of my trip to India next month. We discussed our strategic partnership, economic opportunities and the people-to-people ties that enrich our nations”. EAM Jaishankar wrote about the meeting in Twitter. "Delighted to call on PM @AlboMP of Australia today morning in Kirribilli House in Sydney. Conveyed the personal greetings of PM @narendramodi. Our discussions reflected the full spirit of our strategic partnership. Apprised @AlboMP of recent developments in that regard," he said. During the visit, EAM Jaishankar met with several high-ranking Australian officials to discuss a wide range of bilateral cooperation issues, as well as important global matters. One of the key meetings was with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong. The two officials discussed various issues, including the Indo-Pacific and other multilateral matters. EAM expressed his enthusiasm for Minister Wong’s upcoming visit to India in early March, where she is expected to attend G-20 meetings and the Raisina Dialogue, the MEA said on Tuesday. "Warm and wide ranging discussions with FM @SenatorWong at Sydney Harbour today. Exchanged perspectives on the Indo-Pacific strategic picture, progress in the Quad, G20 developments and our respective neighbourhoods," EAM Jaishankar had tweeted after the meeting. He also held discussions with Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles, with a focus on furthering bilateral cooperation in the defence sector, particularly with regard to maritime security. "Great to meet DPM and Defence Minister @RichardMarlesMP this evening. An Insightful conversation on defense and security challenges that India and Australia confront. Our shared values and strategic convergence underpin growing cooperation," EAM Jaishankar tweeted. While in Sydney, EAM Jaishankar delivered a keynote address at the inaugural Raisina@Sydney conference, which was jointly organized by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) of India and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI). He also joined a panel discussion with the Australian Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen. "A productive 24 hours in Australia. Riterated our common values and interests.Reaffirmed strength of our partnership. Rejuvenated our contacts and cooperation," EAM Jaishankar wrote as he shared highlights of his visit on Twitter on Monday. Strong Comprehensive Strategic Partnership It is worth noting that India and Australia had elevated their bilateral ties and entered into a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in June 2020. Defence and security cooperation has intensified in recent years. This includes the signing of the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA) which allows for reciprocal access to military bases for logistics support. In December 2021, the two countries implemented the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) in an attempt to boost bilateral trade. EAM Jaishankar’s visit to Sydney is in continuation of the regular high-level engagements between the two sides, following his previous visits to Melbourne in February 2022, and Sydney and Canberra in October 2022. The latest visit is being seen as an important step towards further strengthening the relationship between India and Australia, particularly in light of the shared strategic and economic interests of the two countries. Recent discussions between the two sides are expected to lead to deeper collaboration and cooperation on a range of issues, including defence and security, economic and trade relations, as well as people-to-people exchanges.