Diplomatist Magazine Diplomatist March 2019 | Page 18

SPECIAL REPORT
during his speech in Australia’s Parliament
in 2014, stating that:
“Australia will not be at the periphery of
our vision but at the center of our thoughts…
There are few countries in the world where
we see so much synergy as we do in
Australia. India [is] a nation of more than a
billion seeking development; Australia [is] a
developed country of a few million people
and vast resources.”
Since 2014, there have been numerous
visits by Australian Prime Ministers and
Cabinet Ministers to India with a focus on
maintaining momentum at a Government-
to-Government level. A number of Indian
Cabinet Ministers have also visited Australia
in recent years to continue the diplomatic
dialogue between New Delhi and Canberra.
In addition, in November 2018, the President
of India, His Excellency Ram Nath Kovind,
visited Australia, marking the first ever
offi cial state visit by an Indian President to
Australia. growth of Australia-India bilateral ties.
However, recently Canberra and New Delhi
seem to be drawn closer together for more
strategic reasons.
With the changing geopolitical landscape
in the Indo-Pacifi c, namely, the rise of China’s
presence in the region, Australia and India
have scaled up defence cooperation. In 2014,
the Australian and Indian Prime Ministers
announced a Framework for Security Co-
operation and as a consequence, there have
subsequently been a number of joint military
and maritime exercises.
In June 2017, the Indian Navy and
Royal Australian Navy held their fi rst-ever
bilateral naval drill off the coast of Western
Australia. The fi rst joint naval exercise, called
AUSINDEX, was held in September 2015
in the Bay of Bengal. In 2018, the Royal
Australia Air Force (RAAF) and Indian Air
Force (IAF) held joint training exercises and
fl ew together over Australian soil (Exercise
Pitch Black 2018).
Strategic
Until recently, many thought that the
strong economic prospects would fuel the Economic
The potential for stronger trade and
investment linkages between India and
18 • Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist • Vol 7 • Issue 3 • March 2019, Noida