Johannesburg, Nov 22: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in South Africa, with both leaders reaffirming their commitment to strengthening the India–Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
During the meeting, Albanese expressed deep condolences over the recent terrorist attack in Delhi as well as the tragic bus accident in Saudi Arabia that claimed the lives of several Indian nationals. The Australian leader strongly condemned the Delhi blast and assured full support in the global fight against terrorism.
Albanese, who arrived in Johannesburg earlier in the day, said, “We have much to discuss, and our relationship is very strong. I believe we can further strengthen our economic engagement, and our defence and security cooperation will continue to play a vital role in the future.”
Both leaders discussed key pillars of bilateral cooperation, including defence collaboration, economic engagement, critical technologies, and shared strategic priorities in the Indo-Pacific region. Officials said the increased frequency of high-level visits has added significant momentum to the partnership.
The Ministry of External Affairs said the two Prime Ministers reaffirmed their resolve to advance the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, building upon progress made in recent years.
The meeting comes shortly after Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar co-chaired the 16th Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue (FMFD) in New Delhi. The two sides reviewed cooperation across all key pillars, including trade, defence, climate action, and people-to-people links.
India’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Prabhat Kumar, noted that several themes championed during India’s G20 Presidency in 2023—such as disaster resilience, digital public infrastructure, women’s empowerment, and food security—continue to guide the agenda of this year’s summit.
“South Africa has carried these themes forward, and the Summit document reflects strong language on these issues. The Prime Minister will certainly underline them during his interventions,” he said.
India held the G20 Presidency from December 1, 2022, to November 30, 2023, culminating in the Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi.
