India ? Australia 2+2 Dialogue

India – Australia 2+2 Dialogue

News: Recently, the foreign and defence ministers of India and Australia held the first India-Australia 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in New Delhi. The inaugural dialogue is held in pursuant to the elevation of India-Australia bilateral relations to comprehensive strategic partnership during the India-Australia Leaders’ virtual summit in 2021.

Details:
• It aims to maintain an open, free, prosperous and rules-based Indo-Pacific region (in line with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)) and to support India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans’ Initiative.
• Need for renewed efforts by the Quad member countries to expand cooperation in the region.
• It focuses on Supply Chain Resilience Initiative to work together through multilateral, regional and plurilateral mechanisms to diversify supply chains between trusted and reliable trading partners for critical health, technology and other goods and services.
• In this context, they welcomed the launch of the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative by the Trade Ministers of India, Australia and Japan. It decided to meet at least once every two years in this format to keep up the momentum.
• Displayed a common approach to the Afghan crisis, after the recent Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
• India held that the policy is summed up by the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2593. UNSC Resolution 2593, emphasises most of all, that Afghanistan must not allow its soil to be used in any manner by anybody for terrorism.
• They pledged to continue to work together on counter terrorism; countering of radicalization and on the proposed UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.
• Both the countries discussed strengthening their relationship in bilateral trade, vaccines, defence production, community links, maritime security, cyber and climate cooperation.
• An agreement was reached to deepen cooperation in vaccine manufacturing, including under the Quad framework, and to deliver high quality vaccines to their Indo-Pacific partners.
• Researchers of both countries are working together to advance Covid-19 screening and study the future health effects of the virus through projects funded by the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund.
• Australia has invited India for participation in future Talisman Sabre exercises which will raise interoperability while both sides explore longer term reciprocal arrangements in logistics support.
• There was renewed support expressed for finalization of bilateral Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement.Apart from this, both countries also pitched for early resolution of the issue of taxation of offshore income of Indian firms under the India Australia Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement.
• While reaffirming support for the Indian candidacy for permanent membership of the UNSC, grants of Australian $ 1 million to the International Solar Alliance, and Australian $10 million to the Coalition for Disaster Resilient infrastructure (both India-led initiatives).