MELBOURNE: The fourth India-Australia 2+2 Secretary-level Consultations were held today in New Delhi. The Indian delegation was led by Defence Secretary Shri Giridhar Aramane and Foreign Secretary Shri Vikram Misri, while the Australian side was led by Secretary, Department of Defence (DoD) Mr. Greg Moriarty and Secretary, Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT) Ms. Jan Adams. The last 2+2 Secretary-level Consultations were held in 2019, following which 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue was initiated in September 2021.

The two sides reviewed the progress made since the last 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue held in November 2023 and preparations for the next Ministerial Dialogue to be held in 2025. The meeting offered an opportunity for both sides to review the status of bilateral engagements in the context of emerging regional and global scenarios.

Discussions covered a wide range of issues such as political and strategic, defence and security including defence technology and industry cooperation, trade and investments, education, cyber & new emerging technologies, critical minerals, renewable energy, space, counter-terrorism and people-to-people ties. The two sides also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest.

Both sides called for continued strengthening of bilateral cooperation in various fora, including Quad and G20 and reiterated their commitment for achieving their shared objective of peace, prosperity, stability and progress in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as further advancing the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The Secretaries agreed to hold the inter-sessional 2+2 Foreign and Defence Secretaries Dialogue biennially and to continue these discussions ahead of the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.

Secretary Moriarty called on Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh on 14 Oct 2024, and Secretary Adams called on External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar. Bilateral meetings were also held between the Defence Secretaries and Foreign Secretaries.

TORONTO: We have received a diplomatic communication from Canada yesterday suggesting that the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats are ‘persons of interest’ in a matter related to an investigation in that country. The Government of India strongly rejects these preposterous imputations and ascribes them to the political agenda of the Trudeau Government that is centered around vote bank politics.

Since Prime Minister Trudeau made certain allegations in September 2023, the Canadian Government has not shared a shred of evidence with the Government of India, despite many requests from our side. This latest step follows interactions that have again witnessed assertions without any facts. This leaves little doubt that on the pretext of an investigation, there is a deliberate strategy of smearing India for political gains.

Prime Minister Trudeau’s hostility to India has long been in evidence. In 2018, his visit to India, which was aimed at currying favour with a vote bank, rebounded to his discomfort. His Cabinet has included individuals who have openly associated with an extremist and separatist agenda regarding India. His naked interference in Indian internal politics in December 2020 showed how far he was willing to go in this regard. That his Government was dependent on a political party, whose leader openly espouses a separatist ideology vis-à-vis India, only aggravated matters. Under criticism for turning a blind eye to foreign interference in Canadian politics, his Government has deliberately brought in India in an attempt to mitigate the damage. This latest development targeting Indian diplomats is now the next step in that direction. It is no coincidence that it takes place as Prime Minister Trudeau is to depose before a Commission on foreign interference. It also serves the anti-India separatist agenda that the Trudeau Government has constantly pandered to for narrow political gains.

To that end, the Trudeau Government has consciously provided space to violent extremists and terrorists to harass, threaten and intimidate Indian diplomats and community leaders in Canada. This has included death threats to them and to Indian leaders. All these activities have been justified in the name of freedom of speech. Some individuals who have entered Canada illegally have been fast-tracked for citizenship. Multiple extradition requests from the Government of India in respect of terrorists and organized crime leaders living in Canada have been disregarded.

High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma is India’s senior most serving diplomat with a distinguished career spanning 36 years. He has been Ambassador in Japan and Sudan, while also serving in Italy, Turkiye, Vietnam and China. The aspersions cast on him by the Government of Canada are ludicrous and deserve to be treated with contempt.

The Government of India has taken cognizance of the activities of the Canadian High Commission in India that serve the political agenda of the current regime. This led to the implementation of the principle of reciprocity in regard to diplomatic representation. India now reserves the right to take further steps in response to these latest efforts of the Canadian Government to concoct allegations against Indian diplomats.

NGERULMUD: Shri Harsh Kumar Jain (IFS:1993), presently Ambassador of India to the Republic of the Philippines, has been concurrently accredited as the Ambassador of India to the Republic of Palau, with residence in Manila.

He is expected to take up the assignment shortly.