Indian Ambassador Gopal Baglay meets Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong

Indian High Commissioner to Australia Gopal Baglay on Monday met Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and discussed wide-ranging bilateral cooperation between India and Australia.

Sharing details of their meeting, the Indian High Commission in Australia said, “High Commissioner was honored to meet External Affairs Minister @SenatorWong for cordial and fruitful talks on all matters in bilateral cooperation between India and Australia. The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is set to scale new heights.”

High Commissioner felt honored to meet the Foreign Minister @SenatorWong
Cordial and substantive discussions on all issues of bilateral cooperation between India and Australia.
The comprehensive strategic partnership is set to scale new heights. pic.twitter.com/w1Pj0JaSM2

– India in Australia (@HCICanberra) 6 May 2024

On May 4, India and Australia held discussions under the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) talks between the two countries to review the progress made after nine rounds and to complete it to reach a balanced outcome.

Australia is an important trading partner of India in the Oceania region, with merchandise trade between India and Australia set to reach approximately US$24 billion in 2023-24, indicating significant potential for further growth.

Earlier, Australian High Commissioner to India Philip Green had said that he expected more Indian students to come to Australia for their education next year.

The High Commissioner said it is wrong to say that there has been an increase in the number of visa rejections of Indian students by Australian universities as recently reported by some media, and that they are reconsidering their higher education plans.

He stressed the fact that the statistics have been self-observed, and underlined that ‘this year they are the same as last year’ and ‘there has been no increase in student rejections’.

“There has been no increase in student rejections. I have seen these figures myself and they are the same as last year. Unlike some other countries, Australia does not impose any limits on the number of foreign students coming to our country. Yes, we want to ensure that students coming from prestigious institutions will have a good experience in Australia,’ said Envoy Green during an interview with ANI.

“We apologize for the fact that we want good students and we want to make sure they are paired with the right courses. It is absolutely wrong to say that rejections have increased; We look forward to as many, and perhaps even more, Indian students coming to Australia next year.”

Appreciating the cooperation between India and Australia in the field of education and skill development, the High Commissioner appreciated the opening of the overseas branch of an Australian university in India, which is the first time that a foreign university has opened its campus in India.