Australian FM Penny Wong Arrives In Delhi To Strengthen India-Australia Partnership

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday evening to co-chair the 16th Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, in what officials described as the latest high-level exchange under the India–Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

According to PTI, Senator Wong said she expected her meeting with Jaishankar to “set the course for an even more ambitious, future-focused agenda” as the two sides prepare for formal talks at Hyderabad House on Thursday.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal posted on X that India extended a “warm welcome” to Wong, noting that the visit offers a chance to build on “the various facets” of the bilateral partnership. He also shared photographs of her arrival in the capital.

In a statement released earlier on Wednesday on the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs’ official website, Wong said “Australia and India have never been closer and our partnership never more consequential – it is crucial for us and crucial for the region in a sharper and more competitive world.” She added that the visit “continues the high tempo of engagement between our two countries” and reflects the Albanese government’s effort to “deepen our relationships and strengthen our resilience”.

Wong noted that Thursday’s meeting would mark her 26th engagement with Jaishankar. “I look forward to discussions with my counterpart and friend, Minister for External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar, to set the course for an even more ambitious, future-focused agenda, as our partnership enters its next phase,” she said.

She added that cooperation under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership underscores the “deepening alignment and shared vision for a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region”. The two sides, she said, would look to “enhance our cooperation” across cyber and strategic technology, trade, maritime security, defence, sport, and people-to-people ties.

PTI reported that Wong also underlined the role of both countries in working “bilaterally, through the Quad, and through multilateral institutions to advance our collective security and prosperity”.

The MEA advisory said the Australian foreign minister is scheduled to depart New Delhi on Thursday night.

(With inputs from PTI)