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Philip Green, High Commissioner of Australia to India, said that both nations are at the highest point of their bilateral relations.
Green, while talking to ANI, he said that the nations are strategically aligned through the QUAD and bilaterally have a vision for the Indo-Pacific. "We're at the highest point of our bilateral relations... We are deeply strategically aligned through the QUAD and bilaterally have a vision for the Indo-Pacific. We have a very strong complementary economy... the other part of our relationship is what we call the human bridge. More than a million people who call Australia their home are making a huge contribution to our bilateral relationship." Brigadier Damian Hill, Head of Australian Defence Staff in India, echoed Green and said, "We have long-standing ties. We're about 4 years into the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, but our ties are much greater and much longer than that." As the Middle East situation continues to ripple through the world economy in a trough, Green said that Australia has called for a de-escalation. "The Australian government is calling for de-escalation in the Strait of Hormuz and across the whole theatre in West Asia. This is causing ripples, shockwaves around the world. It's being felt in Australia; it's being felt here in India. For us, the negotiation process is very important and the sooner that the parties can come to a conclusion and we can resume more normal traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, the better for all of us," he said. Hill said that peace in the region will result in peace in the Indo-Pacific too. "We're seeking to de-escalate. We're after a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific that enables us all to live in peace... we're looking for it to stabilise because it's in the best interests of the globe, that we are as peaceful a community as we can be, and indeed it impacts the globe. It doesn't just impact those in Asia or in the Middle East; it impacts everyone globally," Hill told ANI. Earlier on April 18, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called for de-escalation in West Asia and the reopening of the critical Strait of Hormuz, stressing the need to keep the route free from tolls and privatisation amid the ongoing conflict. (ANI)
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