NEW DELHI: Australian foreign minister Penny Wong will visit India this week to take forward bilateral relations and work to ensure a peaceful and stable Indo-Pacific region ahead of further high-level engagements between the two countries.
Besides participating in the G20 foreign ministers meeting in New Delhi during March 1-2, Wong is expected to take part in the Raisina Dialogue, the annual conference on geo-politics co-hosted by the external affairs ministry.
This will be Wong’s first visit to India since becoming foreign minister last year. “Australia strongly supports India’s G20 presidency and welcomes India’s ambitious, action oriented G20 agenda, under the theme ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’,” Wong said in a statement on Monday while announcing her visit.
Referring to her participation in the G20 foreign ministers meeting, she said: “I look forward to working with my counterparts on how we can address contemporary international challenges, including strengthening the multilateral system, food and energy security, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.”
Wong’s visit will be followed by trips by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who is expected to be in India by the second week of March, trade minister Don Farrell and resources minister Madeleine King.
People familiar with the matter said the regional security situation, cooperation in critical minerals and upgrading the interim trade deal signed last year by India and Australia to a comprehensive free trade agreement are expected to figure during the upcoming visits by the Australian leaders. The Indian side is close to announcing an investment in Australia’s critical minerals sector in order to ramp up the development of renewable energy and electrical vehicles, the people said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Australia later this year to attend the Quad leaders’ summit along with the leaders of Australia, Japan and the US.
Wong will travel to India after visiting Malaysia, where she will reaffirm Australia’s shared priorities under a bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership.
She said her meetings in Malaysia will focus on “advancing our significant trade and economic links, cooperation on defence and regional security, and the close ties between our peoples”.
