EAM Jaishankar reviews progress of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Australian FM

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

New Delhi, May 26 (IANS) External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Tuesday reviewed the progress of India-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership with Penny Wong, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, in New Delhi.

“Co-chaired a productive 17th Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue with FM Senator Penny Wong of Australia today evening,” EAM Jaishankar wrote on X on Tuesday.

“Reviewed the steady progress of our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. This covered economic and energy issues, including renewable & nuclear, defence and maritime security cooperation, science & tech, cyber issues, critical minerals, space and sports,” he added.

Both sides exchanged views on the Indo-Pacific, the situation in West Asia, and other regional, global & multilateral issues.

“Our talks demonstrated the strength and expanse of India-Australia ties,” EAM Jaishankar highlighted.

During his remarks, EAM Jaishankar warmly welcomed the Foreign Minister Penny Wong and her delegation and recalled the positive development between both countries since last year, like the Prime Ministers of both countries meeting in November and the visit of the Australian speaker in January.

“Our somewhat complex ministerial architecture is working so different Ministers are meeting each other. Where trade and investment are concerned, we have been holding discussions; we moved from Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) to the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Agreement (CECA),” he highlighted.

“On the energy side, we have energy trade we are looking to expand that as well, into Uranium supplies, our own nuclear sector has undergone reforms, which will grow nuclear energy, our teams have been in discussion on critical minerals as well,…defence exchange and exercises have been taking place…, we’ve had some talks on space cooperation,” he added.

Penny Wong, earlier on Tuesday, announced that Quad is taking several new initiatives, including an energy security initiative, working on critical minerals, and support for port infrastructure in Fiji.

She also called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where they discussed the growing India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in various sectors.

“Happy to receive Senator Penny Wong, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia. We discussed the growing India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in areas such as defence, trade, technology and ensuring supply chain resilience. India and Australia will continue to work for a free, open, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” PM Modi wrote on X after the meeting.

–IANS

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By hosting the 20th session of the ICH Committee from December 8 to 13, India aims to bring greater global visibility to the country’s intangible or living heritage — including lesser-known traditions, local crafts, regional festivals — thereby attracting global support, interest, research, tourism and resource mobilisation.

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The 2003 Convention responded to global concerns that living cultural traditions, oral practices, performing arts, social customs, rituals, knowledge systems, and craftsmanship were increasingly threatened by globalisation, social change, and limited resources.

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The Ministry of Culture also aims to use the platform for cultural diplomacy and project India’s soft-power, cultural richness, diversity and heritage leadership on a global stage.

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Each infiltrator will be weeded out ‘one by one’: HM Amit Shah

New Delhi, May 22 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday that the government has resolved not only to stop infiltration but also identify every single illegal person “one by one” and push them out of the country.

Delivering the K.F. Rustomji Lecture organised in memory of the founder and first Border Guard of BSF, HM Shah said the government would not allow any artificial alteration of demography and promised to hold a meeting with Chief Ministers of Tripura, Assam and West Bengal to strengthen the security grid in border states.

Calling the attempt to alter demography a “conspiracy”, HM Shah said, “The BSF has to foil this conspiracy. And today, I can declare that in Tripura, Assam and West Bengal there are governments which support the principle that there should be no infiltration.”

He said the BSF should not only guard the border but also build communication bridges with village patwari and police station, district collector and district superintendent of police to detect infiltrators, infiltration routes and cattle smuggling routes and plug them.”

“It is BSF’s responsibility to identify and stop these activities,” he said.

The Home Minister said that very soon, a meeting of the Chief Ministers of these three border states will be convened in the Ministry to further strengthen the fight against infiltrators.

“The time has come that infiltration should also be put to an end,” he said, citing the successful example of the eradication of Maoism.

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He said to check infiltration, the Union government has increased the BSF’s jurisdiction from 15 km up to 50 km from the border to arrest and conduct searches, and West Bengal has also started handing over land to the force for border fencing.

The event also featured the Border Security Force (BSF) Investiture Ceremony in which 43 BSF personnel were given awards.

On an earlier occasion, HM Shah had said that the journey of the BSF from 1965 to 2025 demonstrates how an organisation that began with limited resources in challenging circumstances has emerged as the world’s largest and most prestigious border security force.

He said that BSF is the finest example of how patriotism can overcome all difficulties to achieve global excellence.

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Kolkata, Nov 3 (IANS) The Kolkata Police on Monday arrested a man within three hours of him opening fire at a woman in the city’s Haridevpur area. The arrested individual has been identified as Bablu Ghosh, who was apprehended near the PTS area in south Kolkata following an intensive search operation.

According to police sources, Ghosh had allegedly shot a woman named Mousumi Haldar, with whom he was reportedly having an extramarital affair. He allegedly took the drastic step after the woman expressed her wish to end the relationship.

At around 7 a.m., Ghosh, along with an accomplice, shot the woman from behind while riding a two-wheeler. The victim sustained a gunshot injury to her back and is said to be in serious condition. She has been admitted to SSKM Hospital for treatment.

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The quick arrest is being hailed as a major success for the Kolkata Police.

Police sources said that following the shooting, Bablu fled his residence with his belongings in a rented car. Neighbours in the Haridevpur area informed the police about his escape, and officers subsequently traced the owner of the rented vehicle.

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The entire operation — from the shooting to the arrest — was completed within just three hours, officials said.

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