Modi Holds Talks with Australia’s Opposition Leader, Focuses on India-Australia Relations
MELBOURNE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met Australia’s Leader of the Opposition, Angus Taylor, and discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral relations, with both sides highlighting the broad bipartisan support for the growing India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The meeting took place during Modi’s three-day visit to Australia, where the two nations have significantly expanded cooperation across key strategic sectors.
According to Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, the discussions focused on deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, reflecting Australia’s strong cross-party commitment to enhancing ties with India. Prime Minister Modi Sharing details of the interaction, called the meeting as engaging and productive. “Met Mr. Angus Taylor, Leader of the Opposition of Australia. We had an engaging conversation on the growing strength of India-Australia ties. Modi says, I deeply value the warmth and broad support that our partnership enjoys across Australia.”
Modi arrived in Australia on July 8 after concluding his visit to Indonesia and is scheduled to travel to New Zealand, the final destination of his six-day, three-nation tour. During his stay in Australia, he held extensive summit talks with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, with both leaders reaffirming their commitment to strengthening cooperation to promote peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
The visit marked a major milestone in bilateral relations, with India and Australia signing 18 agreements covering civil nuclear energy, defence and security, maritime cooperation, critical minerals, cyber technologies, energy security and resilient supply chains. The two sides also agreed to expedite negotiations on the proposed Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) and a bilateral investment protection framework aimed at boosting trade and investment. Defence cooperation, particularly in the maritime domain, emerged as a key focus of the summit, with both countries unveiling a roadmap for enhanced maritime security collaboration alongside a joint declaration on defence and security cooperation.
