Ministry of External Affairs Government of India

H.E. Ms. Julie Bishop, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia visited India on 18 to 19 July, 2017.

The highlight of the visit was that Australia joined the International Solar Alliance (ISA) as its 35th member.

FM Bishop called on Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on July 18, 2017, who welcomed Australia’s participation in ISA. He said that Australia’s presence, in view of its economic strength and extensive experience in solar technology, will further strengthen the Alliance. PM warmly recalled the successful visit of Australian PM Turnbull to India in April 2017 and said that the bilateral relationship had deepened a lot since his own visit to Australia in 2014. PM and FM Bishop discussed a range of regional and global issues of mutual interest.

FM Bishop also called on Finance and Defence Minister Shri Arun Jaitley to discuss a range of issues of cooperation.

Earlier in the day External Affairs Minister Smt. Sushma Swaraj and FM Bishop co-Chaired the 11th India Australia Foreign Ministers Framework Dialogue (FMFD), which is the main institutional bilateral mechanism between the two countries. During the Dialogue, cooperation in bilateral and multilateral issues of common interest including defence, security, counter-terrorism, trade and investment, education and consular matters were reviewed. FM Bishop strongly condemned the recent terrorist killings of innocent Amarnath pilgrims and offered condolences to the victims’ families. She denounced all forms of terrorism and affirmed Australia’s resolve to fight terrorism in all its forms. Both sides reiterated their desire and determination to work together for a rules-based system, to maintain peace, stability, growth and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, including safety and freedom of navigation, overflight and unimpeded commerce, based on principles of international law, notably UNCLOS.

EAM also hosted a lunch in honour of the visiting dignitary.

On July 19, 2017, FM Bishop had fruitful interactions with Australian investors, members of the Indian business community as well as its development partners. She also interacted with the students of Shiv Nadar School.

New Delhi
July 20, 2017