Australia and India’s bilateral ties are based on mutual understanding, Scott Morrison said (FILE)
New Delhi:
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday that the situation in Ukraine and its implications for the Indo-Pacific will come into play during his virtual summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 21.
Morrison said ways to deepen bilateral trade and investment ties and exploit new economic opportunities to support mutual economic recovery and growth will also be discussed at the summit.
“We will also discuss a range of regional and multilateral issues, including the situation in Ukraine and its implications for the Indo-Pacific and Myanmar,” the Australian Prime Minister said in a statement.
Morrison said the strong bilateral relationship between Australia and India is based on mutual understanding and trust and that both sides have a shared vision of the Indo-Pacific.
“The strong bilateral relationship between Australia and India is built on mutual understanding and trust, a commitment to democracy and a shared vision of an open, inclusive, resilient and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” he said.
Monday’s summit follows the historic first virtual summit on June 4, 2020, when the relationship between India and Australia was elevated to a ‘comprehensive strategic partnership’.
“Prime Minister Modi and I will discuss how we can deepen our trade and investment relationship and capture new economic opportunities to support our mutual economic recovery and growth,” Morrison said.
Central to these efforts are enhanced cooperation in defense and security, science and technology, and critical minerals and clean energy, he said.
The Australian Prime Minister said he will receive Prime Minister Modi at the virtual annual leaders’ meeting.
“I look forward to reaffirming our comprehensive strategic partnership and advancing our shared bilateral and regional agenda,” he said.
Announcing the summit on Thursday, the State Department (MEA) said Prime Minister Modi and Morrison are expected to commit to closer bilateral ties in trade, essential minerals, migration and mobility and education.
“The virtual summit will pave the way for new initiatives and enhanced collaboration across a wide range of sectors between India and Australia,” said MEA spokesman Arindam Bagchi.
“Leaders are expected to commit to closer cooperation in areas such as trade, critical minerals, migration and mobility and education,” he said.
Ties between India and Australia have been on the rise in recent years.
In June 2020, India and Australia signed a landmark agreement for mutual access to military bases for logistical support.
The Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA) allows military personnel from the two countries to use each other’s bases for repair and replenishment of supplies, in addition to facilitating scaling up overall defense cooperation.
The Australian Navy was part of the Malabar Naval Exercise hosted by India in November 2020 and last year.
The navies of the US and Japan were also part of it. Australia also participated in the Malabar exercise this year.
(This story was not edited by DailyExpertNews staff and was generated automatically from a syndicated feed.)
