EAM Jaishankar set to visit Australia and Singapore

The Australian leg of Jaishankar's visit will last from November 3 to November 7, 2024. During his visit, Jaishankar will travel to Brisbane and inaugurate India's 4th consulate in Australia.The India-Australia relationship has seen transformational growth in recent times. Bilateral cooperation has seen exponential growth in existing frameworks of cooperation and further expanded across a wide spectrum of new areas opening up new possibilities, both at bilateral as well as global level.

Jaishankar will also co-chair the 15th Foreign Ministers' Framework Dialogue (FMFD) with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong in Canberra.

Jaishankar will deliver the keynote address at the inaugural session of the 2nd Raisina Down Under to be held in the Australian Parliament House. He is also scheduled to have interactions with Australian leadership, parliamentarians, members of the Indian diaspora, business community, media and think tanks.The Indian community in Australia continues to grow and importance, with the population more than 9 lacs as per the census of 2021. Indians make up the second largest migrant group inAustralia.

For the second leg of the visit, the External Affairs Minister will travel to Singapore for an official visit on November 8, 2024, during which he will address the 8th Roundtable of ASEAN - India Network of Think Tanks. The Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) comprises of Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.

India has a strengthened and multi-faceted relationship with ASEAN which is expressed through the Act East Policy.

Jaishankar will also meet the leadership of Singapore to review the close partnership between the two countries and explore avenues to further enhance the bilateral relationship.

India and Singapore have a close bilateral relationship. Singapore has played an important role in reconnecting India to the countries of Southeast Asia since the inception of the Look East Policy in the early 1990s. The Indian community has a significant presence in Singapore and constitutes about 9.2 per cent of the total population of the country.EAM Jaishankar's visit to the two countries is set boost the already existing warm and friendly ties India has with Australia and Singapore. (ANI)