‘Tiranga welcome’ for S Jaishankar in Canberra: ‘So happy…’

Foreign minister S Jaishankar received a 'tiranga welcome' on his arrival in Australia to hold talks with the country's top leadership to further enhance bilateral ties. In a picture shared by the minister, the old Parliament House of Australia was lit up in the colours of the Indian flag.

"Arrived in Canberra to a 'tiranga welcome'. So happy to see the old Parliament house of Australia in our national colours," Jaishankar tweeted.

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Addressing a press conference with his Australian counterpart, Penny Wong, Jaishankar said the two spoke about how India and Australia could work together for the safety and security of the region. "We spoke about a whole lot of issues - trade, economy, education, defence and security, clean energy (were) among the many agreements and understandings we reached. It is in our mutual interest to expand diplomatic footprint in each other's country."

"There are some issues in which we see great potential in terms of giving a greater quality to our bilateral partnership," he said.

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He also said that the two leaders held broad-ranging discussions on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and its repercussions on the Indo-Pacific. “We discussed Ukraine and its repercussions in the Indo-Pacific region, the progress in Quad, G-20 issues, our trilateral, some things related to IAEA and climate finance sustainable development goals,” he said.

Jaishankar is visiting Canberra and Sydney after a visit to New Zealand. This is his second visit to Australia this year after one in February to attend the Quad foreign ministers' meeting in Melbourne. During this visit, he will also be meeting Australian deputy prime minister and defence minister Richard Marles.