Ahead of the QUAD Leaders summit in Sydney later this year, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is scheduled to arrive in New Delhi in March. The focus of the visit is expected to be on defence and maritime security, Indo-Pacific Region, trade and economic relations as well as China’s growing presence in the region. When the leaders will meet the talks will also include new and renewable energy, the ongoing Ukraine conflict and its repercussions globally, issues related to G20, the progress in the QUAD, issues related to the IAEA, climate finance, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), cyber security and critical minerals.
The visit comes close on the heels of the operationalisation of the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) last December 29. It was on that day that the Australian leader had announced his planned visit to New Delhi and Gujarat. On his social media page the Australian PM mentioned that he will visit India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will be accompanied with a business delegation which will help to boost two way trade between the two countries.
More about the expected visit
According to reports his visit to Gujarat coincides with India-Australia playing their fourth test match.
The first time the two leaders met was during the QUAD summit in Tokyo last year when PM Albanese travelled to Japan immediately after being elected to the post of Prime Minister.
The relations between the two countries have witnessed an upswing in recent years and the ECTA was signed in April last year by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and his then-Australian counterpart Dan Tehan, he was from the Scott Morrison Cabinet. However under the new government in Australia the ratification of the ECTA was done and on Dec 29 it became operational and it will not only increase the bilateral trade between the two countries it will also ease the movement of the students, tourists and professionals.
QUAD Leaders Summit
Though no dates have been officially announced, the Australian leader is coming ahead of the QUAD Leaders Summit in Sydney later this year where he will host Prime Minister Modi, Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and the US President Joe Biden. The four leaders will discuss ways of further strengthening cooperation amongst themselves and collectively thwart growing Chinese aggression that is impacting not just the Indo-Pacific region but the Asian continent.
Before the QUAD Leaders summit, India is expected to host the Foreign Ministers meeting in New Delhi soon. While the Australian PM will also come for the G20 summit in September, Australian ministers are expected to visit India throughout the year for different engagements besides the G20 preparations.
India-Australia Defence & Maritime Cooperation
The QUAD members as well as other countries across the globe have been pushing for a need to ensure a free, open and a secure Indo-Pacific as China continues its bullying and expansion in the region. And strong defence and security cooperation in recent years has played an important role towards ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Besides the bilateral cooperation the two countries are working together at various multilateral and trilateral initiatives. India already has signed all the foundational agreements with the US, there is increasing interoperability and commonality among the QUAD member nations as India is acquiring more platforms from the US.
Diplomatic Ties
The two countries are keen to expand the relationship on the diplomatic front too. Last October at the end of Foreign Ministers Framework Dialogue, the two sides announced their decision to open another consulate in each other’s country.
So far there are three Australian Consulate-General in India – Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata) and India has four Consulate-General in that country – Perth, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.