EAM Dr. S Jaishankar and Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong to hold 14th Foreign Ministerial Framework Dialogue in New Delhi
External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar and Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong will hold the 14th Foreign Ministerial Framework Dialogue in New Delhi today. They will take stock of cooperation under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest. Both Ministers co-chaired the India-Australia two plus two Dialogue with Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh and Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles yesterday.
Our correspondent reports that in recent years, India-Australia relationship has charted a trajectory of transformational growth. India and Australia upgraded the bilateral relationship from ‘Strategic Partnership’ in 2009 to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2020. Both nation’s partnership in the Quad format has been beneficial for the Indo-Pacific Region. The Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement entered into force last December. India is Australia’s sixth largest trading partner. Bilateral trade between India and Australia increased from 22.2 billion dollars in 2021 to 31.4 billion in 2022, registering a growth of 41 percent.
There is a million-strong Indian community and over a hundred thousand Indian students who form a living bridge between the two countries. After England, India is the second largest migrant group in Australia. The growing significance of the community is reflected in the large-scale celebration of Indian festivals in Australia.
