Australia wants India to play greater role in East Asia

Calcutta News.Net
Tuesday 17th August, 2010

Australia wants India to play an increased role in the strategic security paradigm of East Asia, Australian envoy Peter Varghese said here Tuesday.

'It is right to think that India will be a key player in East Asia security. We certainly want India to think this way,' Varghese said in a speech at the Indian Council for World Affairs.

He was speaking on the topic 'Australian Perspectives on the Asia-Pacific Region and India-Australia Cooperation in the Region'.

'As India moves more east, we will build a stronger strategic relationship, with an Asian and Indian Ocean focus,' he said.

Varghese pointed out that at the recent meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) in Yemen last month, India was elected the chair for two years with Australia as the vice chair.

'When we look at the future, India will continue to matter more and more to Australia, to the region and to the world,' he said.

The Australian envoy felt that the core of India-Australian ties would be energy security, and therefore was looking at more Indian investment in Australian resources. In this context, he mentioned Adani enterprises, which had acquired coal mine assets in Australia for $2.7 billion.

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