Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Australia's Governor-General, Sam Mostyn, in Melbourne on Thursday, 9 July, holding discussions on the enduring bonds between the two nations and the growing breadth of the India-Australia partnership.

What Was Discussed

The two leaders exchanged views on the strong people-to-people ties between India and Australia, anchored in shared democratic values and expanding cooperation across diverse sectors. Modi also conveyed his satisfaction with the outcomes of the third Australia-India Annual Summit, which he had attended earlier in the day with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed the meeting, noting that the discussions reflected 'the enduring bonds between India and Australia, anchored in shared democratic values, strong people-to-people ties and growing cooperation across diverse sectors.'

The Annual Summit and Joint Declaration

Earlier on Thursday, Modi and Albanese co-chaired the third Australia-India Annual Summit in Melbourne, reviewing progress across the full spectrum of bilateral cooperation — including trade and investment, critical minerals, clean energy, technology, defence and security, education, skills, mobility, science and innovation, culture, sports, and people-to-people ties.

The summit culminated in the adoption of the India-Australia Joint Declaration on Defence and Security Cooperation, which provides a comprehensive framework covering maritime domain awareness, counter-terrorism, combating transnational organised crime, critical minerals, defence industry partnerships, exchange of defence personnel, and regional security.

According to Jaiswal, the summit also witnessed the finalisation of several memoranda of understanding (MoUs) spanning defence, maritime security, energy including nuclear, critical technology, education, and skilling.

CEO Forum and Business Engagement

Modi and Albanese also jointly addressed the India-Australia CEO Forum in Melbourne, engaging with leading business leaders from both countries. The forum underscored the growing commercial dimension of the bilateral relationship, with critical minerals and clean energy emerging as priority investment corridors.

Context and Strategic Significance

Modi is on a three-day visit to Australia at the invitation of Prime Minister Albanese — a trip that marks a significant deepening of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two nations. Both leaders also reaffirmed their shared commitment to a free, open, inclusive, and prosperous Indo-Pacific, signalling alignment on regional security architecture at a time of heightened geopolitical flux.

This is the latest in a series of high-level engagements that have elevated India-Australia ties from a historically modest bilateral relationship to one of the more consequential partnerships in the Indo-Pacific. The next phase will test how swiftly the MoUs and the defence declaration translate into operational outcomes.