Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will today meet their Australian counterparts, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Defense Minister Richard Marles, in the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue. Mint looks at what’s on the agenda.
What are these meetings about?
The 2+2 is a unique ministerial dialogue that brings together senior ministers in a bilateral setting. India maintains this format only with a few key partners such as Australia, the United States, Japan and the United Kingdom. This will be only the second 2+2 round with India’s Quad partner Australia after the first round was held in 2021.
What was the focus of the last conversations?
Cooperation in combating the pandemic was a key focus of the 2021 talks. Australia also announced it would post a liaison officer to the Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region, which will help improve maritime domain awareness for both countries. Australia had invited India to participate in the Talisman Saber defense exercises. They also discussed the unfolding crises in Afghanistan and Myanmar,
What is likely to be the focus of the current conversations?
The growth of bilateral ties in recent years has been driven by a shared interest in ensuring stability in the Indo-Pacific region. To this end, defense exercises and talks between the two countries have increased. Defense and greater cooperation on defense technologies are expected to be at the center of the talks this time.
The two countries are also working through the Quad and a new trilateral partnership with France to address regional needs such as climate change, development and telecommunications technology. In addition, both sides are negotiating a comprehensive free trade agreement, which is likely to be included in the talks.
“Ministers will promote cooperation on our shared regional interests, including defense, security, renewable energy and technology. They will also discuss deepening trade and investment ties,” said an Australian Defense Force press statement.
Is it likely that sensitive discussions will take place during these conversations?
During the foreign ministers-level talks, there may be some discussion about Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s claims that India played a role in the killing of pro-Khalistan extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
“There is no doubt that any country is accused of carrying out an execution of a citizen in that country. It is a serious accusation and something we are not doing and something countries should not be doing,” said Mike Burgess, head of the Australian government. head of domestic spying, in a recent interview.
Penny Wong, the country’s foreign minister, had said the allegations were “concerning”.
