Key Points
- The US, India, Australia and Japan are the four members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), which is a diplomatic network dedicated for establishing a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
- On 16 November, Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had a meeting with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in Bali.
- A two-day summit of G20 leaders was hosted by the Indonesian government in Bali under the theme 'Recover Together, Recover Stronger'.
On 16 November, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had a bilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi during the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia.
Sharing a picture and the update about the meeting, Mr Albanese tweeted "So wonderful to see my friend Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, and to celebrate the rich connections between our two countries and our people. We had a discussion on how India and Australia can work more closely on Indo-Pacific security, including as Quad partners."
Later during a press conference, Mr Albanese announced his plans to visit India with a business delegation.
"We discussed the finalisation of the closer economic cooperation agreement between Australia and India, which we regard as being very important for expanding the economic relationship between Australia and India," he said.
An interim Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement was signed in April this year and a final deal is yet to be inked.
During the visit, Mr Albanese also invited Mr Modi to come to Australia.
Australian Prime Minister (L) with Indian Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi (R) at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia. Credit: Office of the Prime Minister
"I extended an invitation for Prime Minister Modi to enter into discussions. He would be very welcome to either address the Parliament or perhaps something that he might also want to do is to address the diaspora in Australia is what he spoke about," he said.
"So, if Prime Minister Modi, who will be at the Quad Leaders’ Summit being held in Australia, he wants to engage with the diaspora community in Australia, we very much would welcome that as well. But we'll engage with that. He'll be a very welcome visitor," he added.
The latest announcement from the Australian PM has been well received.
Professor Pradeep Taneja, Academic Fellow at Australia India Institute and Senior Lecturer at the University of Melbourne, has dubbed the latest Albo-Modi meeting as an important one.
Mr Pradeep Taneja is based in Melbourne and is an academic fellow of the Australia India Institute. Credit: Prof Pradeep Taneja
As for the final Australia-India trade deal, Prof Taneja believes that both sides will push for greater concessions, which may make it harder.
"India will continue to push for further opening of the Australian labour market for skilled and highly educated Indian workers, while Australia will seek greater access for its agricultural produce, including dairy...both sides now regard the relationship as important to their strategic interests, we might see the two leaders ask their negotiators to be more flexible in negotiations," he said.
According to Prof Taneja, closer ties between the two countries would enhance opportunities for Australian-Indians to do business in India.
Mr Albanese was visiting Bali this week where he joined world leaders for the G20 Leaders’ Summit under the theme “Recover Together, Recover Stronger".
Other global leaders present at the summit included US President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
As the premier forum for international economic cooperation, the G20 plays a critical role in steering the global economy through the significant challenges it faces.
