Australia is a key partner for India on security and stability in the Indo-Pacific, and working together ensures that region remains free, open, stable and prosperous, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday.

Addressing the Indian community, Jaishankar, who is on a two-day visit to Australia, said he spent time with the Australian military during the visit.

“You are a very important partner for us today in terms of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific. Fact of the big changes in our relationship is the fact that today we are both members of the Quad Mechanism, working together in many ways to ensure this region remains free, open, stable and prosperous,” said Jaishankar.

“Last year I saw again how much progress we had made in the last few weeks. We had two major exercises in Australia that the Indian military participated in,” he said.

He said the perception, the importance of each country to the other, and the combined ability of the two nations to help improve the region is “something that is an important factor in the relationship today.”

The US, India and several other world powers have spoken about the need to ensure a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific amid increasing Chinese military maneuvers in the region.

China claims almost all of the disputed South China Sea, although Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam claim all parts of it. Beijing has built artificial islands and military installations in the South China Sea.

“Well, a general feeling I want to convey to you is really that of two countries that in many ways have discovered the great potential of our relationship and have started to approach this in a very serious way,” Jaishankar said.

He also spoke about the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement between India and Australia.

“I am very pleased to announce that the ECTA ratification process is underway,” he said

“We are very confident that by the end of this year or early next year we will really be able to create a new economic framework that will unleash the full potential of our company,” the minister said.

He said he was really excited about the tremendous potential of the bilateral relationship, especially in the field of education.

“Australia has earned a global reputation as a center of learning. Many Indian students come here and we believe today that education can really be the path for India-Australia relations to progress much more comprehensively,” he said.

“And I’m saying that because we’ve also had some big changes in our educational policies in India. That India is actually seeking greater international cooperation today for a variety of reasons. And we seek that because we want our students to be more competent. We want our students to understand the world better. And we want our students to be prepared for a global workplace. The era when you know our countries taught mainly in their own space, that era is behind us,” Jaishankar said.

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