New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will be on an official visit to Australia from 10-13 February, and will then proceed to an official bilateral visit to Philippines from February 13-15, a statement from the External Affairs Ministry said on Wednesday. Jainshankar’s visit to Australia, his first as the External Affairs Minister, comes at the invitation of his Australian counterpart Marise Paye. The Minister will participate in the 4th Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on February 11 in Melbourne, along with the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Japan and the United States, a statement from the External Affairs Ministry said. It would be the first high level visit to Australia from India after the opening of its borders which were closed following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. The statement said the Quad foreign minister’s meeting will be an opportunity to follow up on the virtual meeting held in February 2021 and exchange views on regional strategic issues given their shared vision of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. The Ministers will review ongoing Quad cooperation and build on the positive and constructive agenda announced by the Leaders at the two Summits in 2021, to address contemporary challenges such as the Covid pandemic, supply chains, critical technologies, climate change, infrastructure etc. Jaishankar and Australian Foreign Minister will co-chair the 12th Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue on February 12. The Ministers will review the progress of the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and discuss bilateral, multilateral and regional issues of mutual interest. On the same day, Jaishankar will co-chair the inaugural Foreign Ministers’ Cyber Framework Dialogue (FMCFD) with Australian Foreign Minister Payne. The Ministers will assess the progress made towards implementation of the India-Australia Framework Arrangement on Cyber and Cyber-Enabled Critical Technology Cooperation and the subsidiary Plan of Action which they signed in June 2020 on the sidelines of the Virtual Leaders’ Summit held between Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. The External Affairs Minister will also meet several Australian political leaders, academics and businesses, as well as the Indian diaspora and students. EAM would also be on a bilateral visit to the Philippines from 13-15 February 2022. This will be his first visit to the Philippines as External Affairs Minister. In Philippines, the EAM will hold talks with his counterpart, Teodoro L. Locsin Jr., Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines. Jaishankar will review developments in bilateral relations since the meeting of the Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation that they co-chaired in virtual format in November 2020. Regional and international issues of mutual interest would also be discussed. In addition to meetings with the political leadership in the Philippines, EAM would interact with the Indian community in Manila during his visit. “The visit is expected to impart further momentum to bilateral relations with our key partners in the Indo-Pacific, Australia, and the Philippines, which is also a leading member of ASEAN,” the statement said. UNI AO RKM
