Close on the heels of Quad foreign ministers meet in Melbourne, Australian high commissioner to India Barry O'Farrell has said that the gathering is a sign of return to "in-person meetings".

Speaking exclusively to WION’s Diplomatic Correspondent Sidhant Sibal, envoy Barry called the “incredibly important meeting” a demonstration of “four countries talking about the need to maintain a rules-based order within our region”.&nbsp;

On Friday, the foreign ministers of India, Australia, the US &amp; Japan met in Melbourne in an in-person meet after a gap of over one year. The last in-person meeting took place in Japan in 2020.

In Delhi, the Indian and Australian Trade Ministers announced that an interim free trade agreement (FTA) would be finalised in a month's time.

Meanwhile, speaking on the possibility of the India-Australia-France trilateral meeting in Paris, the envoy said that the 3 countries have “never lost sight” to the “commitment on the Indo pacific”.&nbsp;

The ties between Australia and France had nosedived following the singing of the AUKUS pact between Washington, London and Canberra, a fallout that was seen on another trilateral meeting.

WION: How do you see the Quad meet that happened in Melbourne, in terms of its significance?

Barry O'Farrell: It is an incredibly important meeting that is demonstrated by the in-person presence of foreign ministers of four countries who are talking about the need to maintain a rules-based order in our region. That fits nicely with what we are doing in Delhi. Both Indian and Australian governments are trying to prioritise growth to make counting strong at the time of geopolitical uncertainty

WION: China has hit out at Quad. What are your views on that?

Barry O'Farrell: Great thing about this is that Quad countries continue to do what they do, focusing on practical things that are impacting people's lives in the Indo-Pacific—climate change, health, securing supply chains to build the economies. What we are doing in Delhi today is in line with what the Quad wants—which is free, open, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific, rules-based system.

WION: In Delhi, it has been decided that an interim FTA will be signed this month. How far progress has been made?

Barry O'Farrell: Notably, considerable progress is being made. Both the countries’ PMs will be happy when they get a report on what is going on in the last couple of days. But ultimately, what we seeking to do is to maximize the opportunity within both countries and to assist each other to grow economies, create jobs, give people better- iving standards and deliver free, open, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific, which PM Modi said is the sacred duty of Australia and India.

WION: A Memorandum of Understanding on tourism was also signed. How will it help in increasing tourism?

Barry O'Farrell: It will become convenient for Indians to come to Australia from February 21, when our borders will be open. Currently, no extra cost on visas is levied. But this is just a return to what was happening during the pre-pandemic when we saw strong tourism between India and Australia. It was not just Indians coming to Australia, but Australians were also going to India.

WION: Can we see more high-level visits between the two sides?

Barry O'Farrell: What we have seen with the Quad meeting today is the return to normalcy—the return of in-person meetings. We have seen trade negotiators from Australia this week. Our trade minister is meeting face-to-face with his Indian counterpart. We will see Indian ministers going to Australia in a couple of months.

WION: Australian FM is going to France. It is an important visit. Will we see India-France-Australia trilateral meet, given the AUKUS somewhat might turned out to be a wheel back?

Barry O'Farrell: One thing is that France, Australia and India have never lost sight of their commitment to the Indo-Pacific. Fact that the Australian FM is going to Paris later this month is a great thing, but whether the proposed trilateral happen is up to the Indian and French foreign ministers as well.

Close on the heels of Quad foreign ministers meet in Melbourne, Australian high commissioner to India Barry O'Farrell has said that the gathering is a sign of return to "in-person meetings".

Close on the heels of Quad foreign ministers meet in Melbourne, Australian high commissioner to India Barry O'Farrell has said that the gathering is a sign of return to "in-person meetings". Speaking exclusively to WION’s Diplomatic Correspondent Sidhant Sibal, envoy Barry called the “incredibly important meeting” a demonstration of “four countries talking about the need to maintain a rules-based order within our region”. On Friday, the foreign ministers of India, Australia, the US & Japan met in Melbourne in an in-person meet after a gap of over one year. The last in-person meeting took place in Japan in 2020. In Delhi, the Indian and Australian Trade Ministers announced that an interim free trade agreement (FTA) would be finalised in a month's time. Meanwhile, speaking on the possibility of the India-Australia-France trilateral meeting in Paris, the envoy said that the 3 countries have “never lost sight” to the “commitment on the Indo pacific”. The ties between Australia and France had nosedived following the singing of the AUKUS pact between Washington, London and Canberra, a fallout that was seen on another trilateral meeting. WION: How do you see the Quad meet that happened in Melbourne, in terms of its significance? Barry O'Farrell: It is an incredibly important meeting that is demonstrated by the in-person presence of foreign ministers of four countries who are talking about the need to maintain a rules-based order in our region. That fits nicely with what we are doing in Delhi. Both Indian and Australian governments are trying to prioritise growth to make counting strong at the time of geopolitical uncertainty WION: China has hit out at Quad. What are your views on that? Barry O'Farrell: Great thing about this is that Quad countries continue to do what they do, focusing on practical things that are impacting people's lives in the Indo-Pacific—climate change, health, securing supply chains to build the economies. What we are doing in Delhi today is in line with what the Quad wants—which is free, open, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific, rules-based system. WION: In Delhi, it has been decided that an interim FTA will be signed this month. How far progress has been made? Barry O'Farrell: Notably, considerable progress is being made. Both the countries’ PMs will be happy when they get a report on what is going on in the last couple of days. But ultimately, what we seeking to do is to maximize the opportunity within both countries and to assist each other to grow economies, create jobs, give people better- iving standards and deliver free, open, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific, which PM Modi said is the sacred duty of Australia and India. WION: A Memorandum of Understanding on tourism was also signed. How will it help in increasing tourism? Barry O'Farrell: It will become convenient for Indians to come to Australia from February 21, when our borders will be open. Currently, no extra cost on visas is levied. But this is just a return to what was happening during the pre-pandemic when we saw strong tourism between India and Australia. It was not just Indians coming to Australia, but Australians were also going to India. WION: Can we see more high-level visits between the two sides? Barry O'Farrell: What we have seen with the Quad meeting today is the return to normalcy—the return of in-person meetings. We have seen trade negotiators from Australia this week. Our trade minister is meeting face-to-face with his Indian counterpart. We will see Indian ministers going to Australia in a couple of months. WION: Australian FM is going to France. It is an important visit. Will we see India-France-Australia trilateral meet, given the AUKUS somewhat might turned out to be a wheel back? Barry O'Farrell: One thing is that France, Australia and India have never lost sight of their commitment to the Indo-Pacific. Fact that the Australian FM is going to Paris later this month is a great thing, but whether the proposed trilateral happen is up to the Indian and French foreign ministers as well.

In-person Quad meet is a sign of return to normalcy, says Australian envoy Barry O'Farrell

The Australian High Commissioner Barry O'Farrell has expressed "deep disappointment" over "lack of inclusiveness" when it comes to Taliban announcement on the new government in Afghanistan.

Taliban, on Tuesday, announced a 33-member government, which is being led by Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund and two deputies — Maulavi Abdul Salam Hanafi and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. Out of these 33, 17 names that have been announced are on the United Nation's terror list.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/pak-should-ensure-afghan-soil-is-not-used-to-spread-terrorism-india-to-russia-411696">Pak should ensure Afghan soil is not used to spread terrorism: India to Russia</a>

"Australia is deeply disappointed by the lack of inclusion in the new govt's make up particularly there are no women, no representation from Hazara community, no ethnic minorities, no members of the former govt, it includes 2 members of Haqqani. Haqqani network which as we know is a terrorist organization,"&nbsp;Barry O'Farrell said.&nbsp;

Kabul fell to Taliban on August 15 and since then heartbreaking visuals have emerged of people as Afghans and foreigners have been trying to leave the country. A resistance is also taking shape in Panjshir, which is still not under complete Taliban control, even though the group has claimed otherwise.

Barry O'Farrell said, his country is "consulting our closest partners in ensuring a joint approach in the engagement with the Taliban". He also said the focus is that "Taliban ensures safe passage" to those who want to leave "cease violence, peruses an inclusive govt, prevents violent extremism within Afghanistan, prevents outward terrorism from Afghanistan, pursues an inclusive government, prevents growth of extremism within Afghanistan, prevents terrorism from Afghanistan and upholds human rights, particularly of women and girls", adding "we will judge the govt of Afghanistan by its action and shape engagement with Taliban."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/afghan-crisis-to-shadow-brics-summit-chaired-by-india-on-thursday-411702" hreflang="en">Afghan crisis to shadow BRICS summit chaired by India on Thursday</a>

The worry over Afghanistan becoming a safe haven for international terrorists has been raised by several countries. India has specifically warned that the territory might be used by Pakistan-based international terror groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and lashkar-e-taiba (LeT).

These comments by the Australian envoy come&nbsp;just a day before Australian foreign and defense ministers land in Delhi for the first India-Australia 2+2 ministerial dialogue on Saturday. The meet will see participation of Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and EAM Jaishankar from the Indian side. The meet will naturally see discussions on many issues such as Afghanistan, an aggressive China and Indo-Pacific coordination.

Australia wants to do much more with India with both countries being ambitious about the ties. Under Malabar exercises, forces of India, US, Australia and Japan are undertaking exercises in Guam. Part two of the exercise will take place in Bay of Bengal from September 11 to 14. Both are part of the Quad and leaders of grouping are expected to meet in Washington later this month for the first in-person summit.

The Australian High Commissioner Barry O'Farrell has expressed "deep disappointment" over "lack of inclusiveness" when it comes to Taliban announcement on the new government in Afghanistan.

The Australian High Commissioner Barry O'Farrell has expressed "deep disappointment" over "lack of inclusiveness" when it comes to Taliban announcement on the new government in Afghanistan. Taliban, on Tuesday, announced a 33-member government, which is being led by Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund and two deputies — Maulavi Abdul Salam Hanafi and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. Out of these 33, 17 names that have been announced are on the United Nation's terror list. Also read | Pak should ensure Afghan soil is not used to spread terrorism: India to Russia "Australia is deeply disappointed by the lack of inclusion in the new govt's make up particularly there are no women, no representation from Hazara community, no ethnic minorities, no members of the former govt, it includes 2 members of Haqqani. Haqqani network which as we know is a terrorist organization," Barry O'Farrell said. Kabul fell to Taliban on August 15 and since then heartbreaking visuals have emerged of people as Afghans and foreigners have been trying to leave the country. A resistance is also taking shape in Panjshir, which is still not under complete Taliban control, even though the group has claimed otherwise. Barry O'Farrell said, his country is "consulting our closest partners in ensuring a joint approach in the engagement with the Taliban". He also said the focus is that "Taliban ensures safe passage" to those who want to leave "cease violence, peruses an inclusive govt, prevents violent extremism within Afghanistan, prevents outward terrorism from Afghanistan, pursues an inclusive government, prevents growth of extremism within Afghanistan, prevents terrorism from Afghanistan and upholds human rights, particularly of women and girls", adding "we will judge the govt of Afghanistan by its action and shape engagement with Taliban." Also read | Afghan crisis to shadow BRICS summit chaired by India on Thursday The worry over Afghanistan becoming a safe haven for international terrorists has been raised by several countries. India has specifically warned that the territory might be used by Pakistan-based international terror groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and lashkar-e-taiba (LeT). These comments by the Australian envoy come just a day before Australian foreign and defense ministers land in Delhi for the first India-Australia 2+2 ministerial dialogue on Saturday. The meet will see participation of Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and EAM Jaishankar from the Indian side. The meet will naturally see discussions on many issues such as Afghanistan, an aggressive China and Indo-Pacific coordination. Australia wants to do much more with India with both countries being ambitious about the ties. Under Malabar exercises, forces of India, US, Australia and Japan are undertaking exercises in Guam. Part two of the exercise will take place in Bay of Bengal from September 11 to 14. Both are part of the Quad and leaders of grouping are expected to meet in Washington later this month for the first in-person summit.

Deeply disappointed by lack of inclusion: Australian Envoy Barry O'Farrell on Taliban govt

In the first-ever interview after the first India Australia virtual summit, Australia's envoy to India Barry O'Farrell speaking exclusively to WION has said while the countries are separated by the Indian ocean both Delhi and Canberra are joined in a shared goal and responsibility to maintain its security. Speaking exclusively to our Principal Diplomatic Correspondent, Sidhant Sibal, Australian envoy said, "both share a view around multilateral issues to resolve issues" and "Quad is important to share perspective on COVID". Both India and Australia had the first virtual summit on Thursday.

WION exclusive conversation with Australia's envoy to India Barry O'Farrell