Australia and India have accepted a shared responsibility to ensure a peaceful and inclusive Indo-Pacific where the rights of all states are respected regardless of their size, Australian High Commissioner Barry O’Farrell said on Monday.
Referring to maritime cooperation, he said India and Australia share the Indian Ocean and “we are — by our very design — stewards of one of the world’s greatest maritime resources.”
“Our geography places us squarely in the middle of the world’s strategic center of gravity. And as the international system becomes more multi-polar, the region’s resilience will be tested,” he said.
“For me, the biggest indicator of how far the Australia-India relationship has come is simply how frank, frequent and trusting our interactions are with our counterparts. To put it starkly: the kinds of discussions we’re now able to have on sensitive issues were unheard of even five years ago. If and when any issue arises, we speak directly to each other like good friends,” he added.
The Asutralian envoy also said India and Australia remain committed to working towards a full comprehensive economic cooperation agreement.
The trade agreement signed on Saturday, he said, is only a “first stage deal” and it gives both sides an opportunity to properly harness the complementary nature of their economies in areas such as critical minerals, education and tourism.
“I am confident that the deal will start, at a commercial level, building the confidence needed that will open up even more opportunities for both of our countries,” he said.
In an indirect indication that both sides have issues over Agriculture, the envoy said the sector is “sensitive in every country in the world, it’s sensitive in Australia, it’s sensitive in India”.
“Once we start cooperating in areas across our diverse economic sectors, once people understand that Australian wines are not going to crush Indian wines, that our products are going to be at different price points, then we will see greater and greater economic cooperation,” he said.