On September 9, 2020, the first trilateral dialogue between foreign secretaries from India, France and Australia was held virtually to discuss geo-strategic challenges, enhancing cooperation and to build strong bilateral relations between the trio to ensure a peaceful, secure, prosperous and rules-based Indo-Pacific Region.
- The meeting was co-chaired by India’s foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Francois Delattre; Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Secretary, Frances Adamson.
- The focus of the meeting was Covid-19 pandemic and domestic responses to it.
Key Points:
-The three sides agreed to hold the dialogue on an annual basis.
-Discussions were also made on Cooperation on Marine Global Commons and potential areas through Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC).
-The three countries also exchanged views on the priorities, challenges and trends in regional and global multilateral institutions.
Recent Related News:
In accordance with the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) report on “Cancer preparedness in Asia-Pacific: Progress towards universal cancer control”, India was ranked 8th with an overall score of 51.6 for cancer preparedness among 10 Asia-Pacific countries while Australia topped it.
About Australia:
Capital– Canberra
Currency– Australian dollar
Prime Minister– Scott John Morrison
About France:
Capital– Paris
Currencies– Euro, CFP franc
Prime Minister– Jean Castex
