Australian PM: Bilateral trade, investment, Ukraine on agenda at summit

Canberra/New Delhi, March 18: Ahead of the virtual summit on Monday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday that he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be discussing enhancing bilateral trade and investment as well as cooperation in defence and security, besides other areas. He also said that the two leaders would be discussing the situation in Ukraine. In a statement, the Australian PM said that he would be hosting PM Modi for the Virtual Annual Leaders’ Meeting on March 21, the second such meeting since the two sides announced the bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2020. “Australia and India’s strong bilateral relationship is based on mutual understanding and trust, a commitment to democracy, and a shared vision of an open, inclusive, resilient and prosperous Indo-Pacific. “Prime Minister Modi and I will discuss deepening our trade and investment relationship and harnessing new economic opportunities to support our mutual economic recovery and growth. “Central to these endeavors are strengthened cooperation in defence and security, science and technology, and critical minerals and clean energy. “We will also discuss a range of regional and multilateral issues, including the situation in Ukraine and its implications for the Indo-Pacific, and Myanmar. “I look forward to reaffirming our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and advancing our shared bilateral and regional agenda.” The two sides are expected to announce the interim trade Agreement during the virtual summit. The announcement of the early harvest agreement follows talks on February 11 between Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Australian Trade Minister Dan Tehan in New Delhi. Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Morrison met in Washington DC for the first in-person meeting after the Covid-19 pandemic in September 2021 on the margins of the Quad Leaders’ Summit and jointly launched the Infrastructure for Resilient Island States (IRIS) in Glasgow on the margins of the COP26 in November 2021.