Australian envoy backs Adani, says investments down under fully functional

Australian High Commissioner Barry O’Farrell on Monday said that Adani group is still a significant investor in Australia.

“Adani’s investment is fully functioning in Australia. No reports I see from Australia of any effect on business, he is still a significant investor,” O’Farrell said on Monday. Adani Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate founded by Gautam Adani. It is headquartered in Ahmedabad.

The Australian High Commissioner also said that the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will arrive in Ahmedabad on the evening of Holi. “I expect him to take part in those celebrations,” O’Farrell said.

Asserting that India and Australia are deepening ties through two-way mobility to fulfil 21st-century aspirations, O’Farrell also said ” Very soon, India will have Australian campuses”.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan recently said that two Australian universities- Wollongong and Deakin will soon establish campuses in Gujarat.

“Education is the key to all transformation. Therefore, education is the natural ‘mother’ for all transformation and partnerships. India and Australia are deepening ties through two-way mobility to fulfil 21st-century aspirations,” Dharmendra Pradhan said.

The visiting Australian delegation led by Education Minister Jason Clare held a high-level meeting with the Indian delegation led by Pradhan and participated in student engagement programmes in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Pradhan further said that strengthening educational linkages will provide opportunities for students from both countries to learn and gain new experiences in diverse cultural settings, thereby truly upholding the values of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” or “One Earth, One Family and One Future”, which is also the theme of India’s G20 Presidency.

As per the Ministry of Education, both sides held discussions to take their partnership in the education sector forward in areas of school, higher and vocational education.

“They discussed ways to deepen engagements to empower youth in both countries and make the education and skills sector more vibrant. Both ministers reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing institutional collaboration and two-way mobility by exploring the delivery of transnational education in the higher education, skills and research sectors,” the ministry added.

Australian High Commissioner also emphasized that “Quad is not turning into Indo-Pacific NATO”.

The Quad Foreign Ministers recently carried out a comprehensive review of various issues, ranging from Indo-Pacific to ASEAN.

The meeting was presided by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi and US State Department Secretary Antony Blinken.

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) reaffirmed its steadfast commitment to supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific and strongly supported the peaceful settlement of disputes without resorting to threats or use of force and freedom of navigation and overflight.

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