Thiruvananthapuram (Keralam) [India], September 22 (ANI): Australian Consul General in Chennai, Silai Zaki, met Keralam Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala at his office in the Secretariat on Tuesday.
According to the High Commission of India to Australia, the historical ties between India and Australia started immediately following European settlement in Australia from 1788. All trade to and fro from the penal colony of New South Wales was controlled by the British East India Company through Kolkata.
India and Australia established diplomatic relations in the pre-Independence period, with the establishment of the India Trade Office in Sydney in 1941. Australia’s first High Commissioner to India was appointed in 1944, while India’s first High Commissioner to Australia assumed charge in 1945. The first hoisting of the Indian National Flag (before it was done in India) took place in Australia on 15 August 1947 at India House in Canberra.
The India-Australia bilateral relationship is underpinned by shared values of pluralistic, Westminster-style democracies, Commonwealth traditions, expanding economic engagement and increasing high-level interaction.
The longstanding people-to-people ties, ever-increasing Indian students coming to Australia for higher education, growing tourism, and sporting links, especially Cricket and Hockey, have played a significant role in further strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries, the High Commission stated.
In recent years, the India-Australia relationship has charted a whole new trajectory of transformational growth. The relationship was elevated to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) on June 4, 2020, during the first India-Australia Virtual Summit.
It underscores the shared commitment to a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region, grounded in democratic values, the rule of law, and mutual respect. A range of institutional mechanisms at high/ministerial/official levels have helped deepen and broaden this cooperation, and are elaborated below.
According to the High Commission, India-Australia Defence partnership has steadily strengthened in the recent past. The visit of Defence Mantri to Australia from October 9 to 11, 25, being the first visit of an Indian Defence Minister to Australia in 12 years, was important due to a number of strategically important outcomes such as signing of landmark agreements/MoUs, institution of an annual Defence Ministers Dialogue, and conduct of the first ever India – Australia Defence Industry Round Table at Sydney.
Additionally, India was Australia’s fifth largest trading partner in the year 2025. Total bilateral trade (Goods & Services) decreased to AUD 50.21 billion in 2025 from AUD 53.06 billion in 2024. India’s total exports to Australia increased to AUD 18 billion in 2025 from AUD 17.52 billion in 2024. Australia’s exports to India decreased to AUD 32.2 billion from AUD 35.54 billion in 2024. In CY 2024, India’s Service exports to Australia grew by 28% to AUD 6.05 billion from AUD 4.73 billion in CY 2023.
The Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) builds on the foundation of ECTA, aiming for deeper commitments in five core areas: Trade in Goods, Trade in Services, Rules of Origin (including Product-Specific Rules), Digital Trade, and Government Procurement. 1st Round of negotiation was held in February 2023. 11th Round of CECA negotiations was held in New Delhi from 18-22 August, 2025. In June 2026, both sides have exchanged comprehensive offers for CECA, the High Commission noted. (ANI)
Australian Consul General in Chennai Silai Zaki meets Keralam HM Ramesh Chennithala
