India and Australia on Saturday began a high-level foreign and defence ministerial dialogue aimed at further ramping up their overall defence and strategic cooperation including in the Indo-Pacific amid China’s increasing military assertiveness in the region.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held the inaugural ‘two-plus-two’ talks in New Delhi with their Australian counterparts Marise Payne and Peter Dutton. The in-person talks are taking place at a time the global focus has been on the situation in Afghanistan and the issue is likely to figure in the deliberations.
The Australian Ministers will also call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg at 4.30pm today.
Arindam Bagchi, Official Spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs said, “S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh welcomed their Australian counterparts FM Marise Payne and Defence Minister Peter Dutton for the India-Australia 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue. Bilateral, regional and global issues on the agenda.”
While Singh held wide-ranging discussions with Australian defence minister Dutton on Friday, Jaishankar met foreign minister Payne ahead of the ‘two-plus-two’ dialogue. In their talks, the two defence ministers discussed the fragile security situation in Afghanistan and their “common concerns” relating to the possible spread of terrorism from the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne yesterday said that under PM Modi’s leadership, India is reassuring to contribute to a secure region. The Foreign Minister also said that two countries are working towards an interim trade agreement to be followed by a comprehensive economic pact to boost trade ties.
“Under leadership of PM Modi and my counterpart Minister of External Affairs, India is reassuring its leadership in contributing to a secure and prosperous region. It’s certainly an exciting time to witness continued rise of new India, a country which is both ancient and modern,” Payne said.
“Vaccines provide great hope for our return to normal and I want to acknowledge the particularly important role that India has played in this area,” she added.
The Australian Foreign Minister praised India for being a global manufacturing hub and an emerging technological superpower.
“India is on a trajectory of a global manufacturing hub and we want to work with India. We’re working hard to get Indian students back to Australia as soon as possible. India is an emerging technological superpower,” she said.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Australian counterpart Peter Dutton also held the talks that significantly focused on developments in Afghanistan that could have a bearing on regional security, official sources said.
Singh conveyed to Dutton that the rise of the Taliban raises serious security concerns for India and the region as the terror groups having bases in Afghanistan could get further support to expand their activities, they said. In the in-person talks, Singh also said that Afghan territory should not be used to threaten or attack any other country and emphasised that the international community must do everything possible to ensure the implementation of the UN Security Council resolution 2593 on Afghanistan, the sources said.
The talk is likely to push for India’s nuclear sector as Australia is a member of the small Like-Minded Group of NSG members and has been supporting India’s admission to the Nuclear Suppliers Group. Australia continues to work in Vienna with the “small group” of countries in support of India’s application.
India has earlier held ministerial meetings with few countries including the US and Japan. New Delhi is planning for talks with Russia but no dates have been scheduled yet.
The decision to hold bilateral talks with Australia reflects ties between India and Australia for the last few years. Last June, during the Virtual Summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his counterpart Scott Morrison, the bilateral relations were elevated to a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”.
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