Ten prisoners have been recaptured so far, authorities said
Australia and India have agreed to accelerate a broader economic partnership and to boost their defence ties, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in New Delhi on Friday.
Last year the two countries signed a free trade deal called the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), the first signed by India with a developed country in a decade.
However, a much larger Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) has been stuck in negotiations for over a decade. Discussions between the countries restarted in 2011 but were suspended in 2016 as the talks were gridlocked.
Negotiations resumed in 2021 but a deal has yet proved to be elusive.
"We also agreed on an early conclusion of our ambitious Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement as soon as possible and I am hopeful that we will be able to finalise that this year," Albanese, who is on a three-day visit to India, told reporters.
"This transformational deal will realise the full potential of the bilateral economic relationship, creating new employment opportunities and raising living standards for the people of both Australia and India."
Bilateral trade between the countries was $27.5 billion in 2021 and India says trade has the potential to nearly double to $50 billion in five years under the ECTA.
India and Australia are security partners through the Quad group, which also includes the United States and Japan.
Australia and India made "significant and ambitious" progress in strengthening defence and security ties and also discussed climate change issues, Albanese said.
Ten prisoners have been recaptured so far, authorities said
A wave of exceptionally hot weather has blasted parts of South and Southeast Asia this week
The three-term MP is facing central minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar and CPI leader Pannyan Ravindran at Thiruvananthapuram constituency
The prime minister referred to Muslims as "infiltrators" during a campaign speech
The broadcaster accepts the resignation of Huw Edwards nine months after he became embroiled in a scandal
The Centre for Food Safety, Hong Kong has published the list of banned Indian spice variants on its website
Regulations lag pace of climate change. Air pollution kills 860,000 people each year
The two Muslim neighbours were involved in unprecedented tit-for-tat military strikes this year