India and Australia 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue

Context- The 2nd India-Australia 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue will be held in New Delhi.The inaugural India-Australia 2 plus 2 Ministerial Dialogue will be held on eleven September 2021.

Focused Areas of the dialogue

• They  exchanged perspectives on deepening multifaceted ties in numerous areas.
• These encompass defence and security, change and  funding, crucial minerals, energy, weather change, Science and Technology, space, training and those to human beings linkages.
• Regional and international problems have been additionally mentioned.
• The  aspects additionally mentioned urgent geopolitical problems, which includes the disaster in West Asia and the conflict in Ukraine.
• They mentioned cooperation for joint studies in underwater technologies, and collaboration among defence start-ups of each of the international locations, which includes fixing demanding situations jointly. 

India and Australia family members: Brief Overview

• Historical Perspective: The ancient ties among India and Australia commenced without delay following European agreement in Australia from 1788.
  • They hooked up diplomatic family members withinside the pre-Independence period, with the status quo of India Trade Office in Sydney in 1941.
• Strategic: Australia and India upgraded bilateral courting from ‘Strategic Partnership’ in 2009 to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) in 2020. 
• Bilateral mechanisms: Over the years, an array of institutional mechanism has been installed area to sell bilateral cooperation encompass excessive stage visits, Annual Meetings of Prime Ministers, Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue, 2+2 Defence and Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue, Joint Trade and Commerce Ministerial Commission, Defence Policy Talks, Australia-India Education Council, Defence Services Staff Talks, Energy Dialogue, JWGs on exceptional problems etc.
• High-Level Exchanges: India’s family members with Australia reached a brand new excessive with the primary ever go to of the President of India H.E. Shri Ram Nath Kovind to Australia on 21- 24 November 2018.
  • The two-way Prime Ministerial visits in 2014 gave tremendous momentum to the bilateral courting.
• Economic and Trade Relationship: They have business ties courting lower back to the 18th century, whilst India performed a primary position in nourishing the younger colony and change with Australia got here to be an crucial detail withinside the operations of the East India Company in Bengal.
  • As a part of its efforts to increase a robust monetary courting with India, the Australian Government commissioned the India Economic Strategy to 2035 to outline a pathway for Australia to free up possibilities provided through the Indian Economic boom. 
  • The India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (“IndAus ECTA”) was signed .
  • India-Australia Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) became hooked up in 1989 to allow interplay at a central authority and commercial enterprise stage on various change and funding associated problems.
• Bilateral Trade: India is Australia’s 6th biggest buying and selling partner.
  • Bilateral trade among India and Australia multiplied from US$ 22.2 billion in 2021 to US$ 31.four billion in 2022, registering a boom of 41%. India’s overall exports to Australia grew by 38% from US$ 6.three billion in 2021 to US$ 8.7 billion. 
  • India’s foremost exports to Australia are subtle petroleum, medicaments (incl. veterinary), pearls and gems, jewelry, made-up fabric articles, while 
  • India’s fundamental imports are coal, private objects of change, copper ores and concentrates, herbal gas, non-ferrous waste and scrap, ferrous waste and scrap and training associated services.
• Civil Nuclear Cooperation: A Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement among the 2 international locations become signed in September 2014
  • The Australian Parliament passed the “Civil Nuclear Transfer to India Bill 2016” on 01 December 2016 which allows Uranium mining agencies in Australia to fulfill contracts to deliver Australian uranium to India for civil use .
• Defence Cooperation: In November 2014, each aspect determined to increase defence cooperation to cowl studies, improvement and enterprise engagement and agreed to maintain ordinary conferences at the extent of the Defence Minister, and conduct ordinary maritime exercises.
  • The first-ever Bilateral Maritime Exercise, AUSINDEX, was carried out in Visakhapatnam and the Bay of Bengal in September 2015. 
  • Australia participated in Exercise Milan in 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2022.
  • Indian ships participated in Kakadu, the biennial Exercise of the Australian Navy (wherein 27 countries participated)
  • Indian Air pressure participated in Exercise PITCHBLACK in 2018 and in September 2022. 
  • India participated withinside the French-led naval sports La Perouse in April 2021 in Bay of Bengal alongside Australia, USA and Japan. 
  • India and Australia signed a Mutual Logistics Support settlement in 2020, and the 2 Navies signed the ‘Joint Guidance for the India-Australia Navy to Navy Relationship’ file in August 2021. 
• Agriculture, Science and Technology : India-Australia SandT cooperation became formalized via the Inter-Governmental Agreement signed in October 1986 .
• Education, Sports, Art and Culture: The wide variety of Indian college students presently enrolled for reading in Australia is anticipated at around 118,869 (July 2023), making Indian college students the second biggest cohort of overseas college students in Australia.
  • India and Australia signed an Educational Exchange Programme (EEP) in 2003.
  • Cricket is some thing which has saved us related for ages and now tennis and films are different connecting bridges,”
• Consular Cooperation, People to People linkages: The Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) and the Extradition Treaty among India and Australia, which have been signed in June 2008, were ratified through each Governments, and feature entered into force on 20 January 2011
  • The Indian network in Australia continues to develop and importance, with the populace of approximately 9.76,000 (Census 2021). After England, India is the second biggest migrant organization in Australia . 
• Quad: India and Australia’s partnership withinside the Quad layout has been useful for the Indo-Pacific Region.
  • The first-ever Quad Leaders’ Virtual Summit on 12 March 2021 saw the participation of Prime Ministers of India, Australia, Japan and the President of USA. 
• Latest Developments: India and Australia are presently engaged in superior negotiations for a complete economic cooperation settlement (CECA) as a way to construct at the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) signed in April 2022.

Source: Indian Express

Practice question:

Q.Write a short note on Cricket diplomacy in context of Indo-Australia relations

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