When PM asked Jaishankar about India-Australia ties and he had ‘no answer’

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is on his five-day visit to Australia from November 3 to November 7, addressed the Indian diaspora in Brisbane and shared a backstory with them about India-Australia relations. Jaishankar shared that when Narendra Modi became prime minister in 2014, he asked him about India’s relationship with Australia—and Jaishankar found himself at a loss for words!
The foreign minister stated that this inquiry initiated a reevaluation of the relationship, recognising the potential that had previously gone untapped. Jaishankar said the relationship between the two countries has not developed spontaneously; rather, it is the outcome of four key factors – “One PM Modi, two Australia, three the global dynamics and fourth is Indian diaspora.”
“I mentioned PM Modi for a particular reason. After he had become Prime Minister, he posed a question to me in 2014. He asked, ‘why hasn’t our relationship with Australia developed? Despite having such a natural faith, there is language bonding, shared culture and tradition.’ I had no answer that day because I hadn’t reflected on it myself and maybe even if I had, I would not have probably realised that at the end of the day, things do not happen automatically; they need effort, leadership, and ambition,” Jaishankar said.
He further added that for a relationship to develop, efforts from “people, governments, and leaders at both ends” are needed. “So when I present to you today a picture of such transformation, this did not happen when the India-Australia vehicle was on autopilot. It happened when people have worked at it; at both ends, there was a realisation of the value of these ties and the great efforts of building it,” the EAM said.
Reflecting on the growth in ties between the two nations, Jaishankar remarked that Australia would have featured among India’s crucial partners a decade ago but that has changed significantly. Also Read | India, Australia set to expand trade pact, focus on e-commerce
“This is my fifth visit to Australia in the last three years… I first came to Australia when I was Foreign Secretary. Yesterday, before I boarded the flight, I launched a book in which they highlighted seven crucial friendships of India, Australia was one of them. And I told the author; that if he had written the book 10 years ago, I am not sure it would have been. I am saying this because I am trying to stress how much this relationship has in the last decade and why has it changed… There are four reasons. . That is the reason why the relationship has come a long way,” the EAM said.
(With agency inputs)