EAM Jaishankar welcomes Penny Wong as India–Australia hold strategic talks

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday welcomed Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong to New Delhi for the 16th Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue, a meeting that comes at a time when the India–Australia partnership has gained unprecedented strategic weight in the Indo-Pacific.

Jaishankar greeted Wong with a post on X, saying he looked forward to “our discussions”, as the two countries review progress across defence, strategic technologies, trade, maritime cooperation and people-to-people linkages. Wong arrived in the capital on Wednesday evening and visited Humayun’s Tomb earlier in the day, where she viewed the Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters exhibition.

Wong’s visit marks her 26th meeting with Jaishankar, reflecting the intensity of diplomatic engagement between the two countries in recent years. The partnership has grown rapidly since the ties were elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2020, expanding cooperation in defence, cybersecurity, critical minerals, clean energy and supply-chain resilience. Australia’s participation in the Malabar naval exercise and ongoing CECA trade negotiations have further anchored the relationship.

The current dialogue also builds on momentum from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to Australia in October, where he held talks with Wong and met Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Officials see these back-to-back engagements as part of a deliberate effort to shape a more coordinated strategic posture in the region.

Ahead of her arrival, Wong described the partnership as “never more consequential”, noting that India and Australia face shared challenges in a “sharper and more competitive” Indo-Pacific. Both countries increasingly view their cooperation as central to sustaining a free, open and rules-based regional order particularly amid shifting power balances, maritime tensions and disruptions to global technology and trade flows.

The two ministers are also expected to review joint work under the Quad, which has evolved into a key platform for advancing maritime domain awareness, resilient supply chains, trusted technologies, climate action and regional disaster response. For many Indo-Pacific nations, these initiatives offer practical benefits, from enhanced security infrastructure to transparent development options.

As officials from both sides meet through the day, the focus will be on charting a “future-focused agenda”, as Wong put it, strengthening an already fast-advancing partnership that is increasingly shaping the Indo-Pacific’s economic and security landscape.