Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Australia in the “near future,” Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Tuesday while speaking to the media in New Delhi after attending the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting.
Foreign ministers of the Quad, which includes India, the US, Japan and Australia, on Tuesday announced a raft of measures focusing on biotechnology, energy security, stronger supply chains and humanitarian cooperation during their meeting in the national capital.
PM Modi visits Australia: Wong
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that Modi will visit Australia “in the near future,” Wong said.
“My Prime Minister today announced that Prime Minister Modi will visit Australia in the very near future,” she added.
“We very much look forward to Prime Minister Modi coming to Australia as a friend of the Prime Minister, and as an important overall strategic partner, but also because the Indian diaspora is an important part of our Australian community,” she added.
She also said that she was looking forward to meeting Prime Minister Modi later in the day.
She praised the relationship between the two countries, and also praised their shared commitment to the peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. “We want to work together for our region and for our people.”
Wong also described India as “an essential economic partner for Australia”.
“We (India and Australia) are comprehensive strategic partners. We have a relationship based on strategic trust. We have a great deal of strategic alignment. Our economic ties continue to deepen. India is the fastest growing major economy in the world. It is an essential economic partner for Australia. As we seek to diversify our supply chains and grow our economy and productivity, this relationship is only growing,” she said.
Quartet foreign ministers meeting
The foreign ministers of Australia, India, Japan and the United States on Tuesday announced new measures on maritime security, port infrastructure and energy cooperation to strengthen engagement in the Indo-Pacific region.
Host External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar described the Quad leaders’ discussions as meaningful and fruitful. He said the four democracies discussed safe and uninterrupted trade routes while calling for strict adherence to international law.
After the meeting, Rubio announced a new maritime surveillance initiative in the Indo-Pacific region, which will combine the surveillance capabilities of the four countries and improve real-time information sharing across the region.
The ministers also introduced the Indo-Pacific Energy Security Initiative, which aims to strengthen fuel and energy supply networks across the region. Rubio said the United States will host a Quad fuel security forum later this year.
With input from agencies
