Media release
11 October 2009
Visit to India
I will visit India this week from Monday 12 October to Friday 16 October, my second visit to India as Minister for Foreign Affairs.
I will travel both to New Delhi and to Mumbai.
My visit to India will be the ninth visit by an Australian Minister since the beginning of 2008. In the same period, ten Indian Ministers have made visits to Australia.
In New Delhi I will conduct the sixth Australia-India Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue with my Indian counterpart, Minister for External Affairs S.M. Krishna.
I hosted the last Dialogue in Australia in June 2008. External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna came to Australia in August 2009 for the Pacific Islands Forum Post Forum Dialogue.
Minister Krishna and I will discuss advancing bilateral, regional and international cooperation between Australia and India.
I will also discuss our common interests and international political and economic issues with other Indian officials in New Delhi.
Australia and India, both members of the G20, are seeing bilateral trade and investment grow rapidly. India is now Australia’s fifth largest export market.
Our strong people-to-people links are increasing, with greater flows of tourists, businesspeople, and students between our countries.
Australia and India are also working more closely in the fields of defence cooperation, counter-terrorism and non-proliferation. Cooperation is growing in energy security, climate change and food security.
I will also inspect Commonwealth Games facilities in New Delhi.
Australia will continue to work hard to take India to the front rank of its international relationships.
Following meetings in New Delhi, I will travel to Mumbai, where I will meet with the Reserve Bank of India, senior Australian and Indian business figures and deliver an address to the Asia Society.
I will also commemorate the lives lost, including those of two Australians, during last November’s shocking terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Australia expressed its solidarity with India at the time and we will continue to work with India and other countries to tackle terrorism and extremism.
Media inquiries:
- Mr Smith's office 02 6277 7500
- Departmental Media Liaison 02 6261 1555