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Canberra [Australia], October 13 (ANI): Australia’s Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chriss Bowen will travel to India this week for portfolio meetings, as shared by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water of Australia.

As per the official statement, Bowen will travel to India and China this week.

In New Delhi, he will have a range of meetings with Indian and Australian representatives and meet Pralhad Joshi, Minister of New and Renewable Energy and Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, to convene the first Renewable Energy Partnership Ministers Meeting.

As per the statement, he will also meet Minister Manohar Lal, Minister of Power and Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, for the 5th India-Australia Energy Dialogue.

The high-level visit comes shortly after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was in Australia and met the top brass of the country- PM Anthony Albanese, Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles and Assistant Minister of Defence Peter Khalil.

Singh said this during his bilateral meeting with Australia’s Assistant Minister of Defence Peter Khalil, while co-chairing the maiden India-Australia Defence Industry Business Round Table in Sydney, reaffirming the growing synergy between the two nations across strategic, industrial, and technological domains.

India and Australia inked key defence agreements during the visit of the Defence Minister.

Marles has described the newly signed defence agreement with India as a ‘hugely significant step’ in strengthening the operational partnership between the two nations’ armed forces.

Speaking exclusively to ANI, Marles said, ‘I think the significance of today is that what we are seeing in terms of deep trust and strategic alignment is now being expressed in a much deeper operational level of engagement between our two defence forces. The Agreement that we have signed in terms of staff talks between our operational commands is hugely significant… We are very excited about that.’

In one of the several interactions in Australia, Singh has hailed the India-Australia ties and said that the countries are standing at a ‘pivotal juncture’ to reposition their defence relations ‘not merely as partners but as co-creators of a secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific.’ (ANI)