CANBERRA: Prime Minister’s meeting with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on the sidelines of the Quad Leaders’ Summit

CANBERRA: Prime
Minister Shri Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with Australian Prime
Minister Hon’ble Scott Morrison on the sidelines of the Quad Leaders’ Summit in
Washington DC, USA, on 23 September 2021.

This was the first in-person meeting between the two leaders in the
post-pandemic period. The last bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Modi
and Prime Minister Morrison was the Leaders’ Virtual Summit held on 4 June 2020
when the Strategic Partnership between India and Australia was elevated to a
Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

During the meeting, the Prime Ministers discussed a broad range of issues of
bilateral, regional and global importance. They noted with satisfaction the
regular high-level engagements between the two countries, including the
recently held first India-Australia Foreign and Defence Ministers’ 2+2
Dialogue.

The Prime Ministers reviewed the progress achieved since the Leaders’ Virtual
Summit in June 2020 under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and resolved
to continue close cooperation for mutual well-being and towards advancing their
shared objective of an open, free, prosperous and rules-based Indo-Pacific
region.

They expressed satisfaction at the ongoing negotiations on a bilateral
Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA). In that context, they
welcomed the visit to India by former Australian Prime Minister Mr. Tony Abbott
as PM Scott Morrison’s Special Trade Envoy for India, and noted the commitment
of both sides to achieve an early harvest announcement on an interim agreement
by December 2021.

The Prime Ministers underlined the need for the international community to
address the issue of Climate Change on an urgent basis. In this regard, Prime
Minister Modi highlighted the need for a broader dialogue on environment
protection. Both leaders also discussed possibilities of providing clean
technologies.

The Prime Ministers agreed that as two vibrant democracies in the region, the
two countries needed to work closer together to overcome the challenges in the
post-pandemic world, inter alia to enhance supply chain resilience.

Both leaders lauded the immense contribution of the Indian diaspora to
Australia’s economy and society, and discussed ways to enhance people to people
ties.
Prime Minister Modi renewed his invitation to Prime Minister Morrison to visit
India.