New Delhi: External Affair Minister, Dr. S Jaishankar will be on a 5-day diplomatic trip starting tomorrow. He has been invited by his Australian counterpart Marise Payne and it will be the first official high-level visit from India to Australia after the reopening of its borders post the Covid-19 outbreak.
During his visit, the EAM will participate in the fourth Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting which is scheduled for February 11 in Melbourne. He will be joined by the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Japan, and the United States. This meeting will offer the ministers an opportunity to follow up on their virtual meeting held in February 2021 and discuss the shared vision of a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region, revealed a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs.
Jaishankar will also co-chair the 12th Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue which will be held on 12 February 2022. Along with that, he will also co-chair the inaugural Foreign Ministers’ Cyber Framework Dialogue (FMCFD) with Australian Foreign Minister Ms. Marise Payne. He will also meet Australian political leaders, academics, and businesses along with the Indian diaspora and students during his time in Australia.
Post this, the EAM will head for a bilateral visit to the Philippines from February 13-15. It will be his first visit to the country ever since he joined office. On the trip, the EAM will hold talks with the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. They will review the bilateral relations and mutual interests of the two countries. Jaishankar will also interact with the Indian community in Manila during his visit.
The Ministry of External Affairs states that this visit will impact the momentum towards bilateral relations with India’s key partners in the Indo-Pacific, Australia, and the Philippines, which is also a leading member of ASEAN.