India Australia Relations
Context:
- In an effort to assert India’s position in the Indo-Pacific, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is wrapping up his three-nation tour in Australia.
Visit highlights include:
- Upon entering Admiralty House, the Prime Minister received a ceremonial welcome and a guard of honour.
- The visit of PM Modi to Australia, according to PM Albanese, “strengthened the close and strong relationship that Australia enjoys with India.”
- His trip was originally intended to coincide with a multilateral occasion, the Quadrilateral Meeting, but after the U.S. President withdrew due to domestic political issues;
- Fumio Kishida, the prime minister of Japan, followed suit, and Hiroshima hosted a condensed Quad Summit.
- As PM Modi reiterated his concerns over vandalism and attacks destroying community centres and temples, discussions of other groups’ activities and conflicts that also have ties to people of Indian descent took place.
- According to PM Modi, the “Three D’s”—Democracy, Diaspora, and Dosti—bind the two nations together today.
- In front of a huge throng at Sydney’s SuperDome, both leaders celebrated. PM Modi claimed that Australians of Indian descent were the “real reason, the real power” behind the bilateral relations.
- The opening of an Australian consulate in Bengaluru and an Indian consulate in Brisbane, a deal on migration and mobility, and the completion of the terms of reference for an India-Australia Green Hydrogen Task Force were among the announcements made at the Modi-Albanese meeting. The substantive agenda included collaboration on renewable energy, defence and security connections, and essential minerals.
- Despite their divergent views on the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the western sanctions, they continued to find common ground on maintaining an open and free Indo-Pacific and dealing with a belligerent China.
Australia-India relations as of now:
- Prior to India’s independence, Australia and India had diplomatic ties when the Consulate General of India opened as a trade office in Sydney in 1941.
- Shared principles of pluralistic, Westminster-style democracies, Commonwealth traditions, increased economic involvement, and increasing high-level interaction have supported the India-Australia bilateral relationship.
- India is one of the major sources of skilled immigrants to Australia.
- Both Australia and India embrace a rules-based international order and they are striving to establish regional institutions in the Indo-Pacific which are inclusive, promote more economic integration.
- Both are members of the Quad, Commonwealth, Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), ASEAN Regional Forum, Asia Pacific Partnership on Climate and Clean Development, and have participated in the East Asia Summits.
- The Mechanism for Mutual Recognition of Educational Qualifications (MREQ) was signed in March 2023. This will allow mobility of students between India and Australia.
- In February 2022, countries signed a Letter of Intent on New and Renewable Energy for cooperation to reduce the cost of renewable energy technology, including ultra low-cost solar and clean hydrogen.
Way forward:
- The India-Australia relations have strengthened in recent years due to shared values, interests, geography, and aims. Both countries envision a free, open, inclusive, and rules-based Indo-Pacific region, unilateral or forceful acts are not favoured and are to be avoided in settling any differences or conflicts.
