Foreign Minister Penny Wong has downplayed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s absence from a scheduled meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G7 summit, calling for calm and perspective amid what she described as an unstable global environment.
“Look, I think it’s good to have some perspective here,” Wong said during a live interview on the Today show. “There is a war going on in the Middle East, there’s a war going on in Europe. And President Trump left the G7—obviously he wasn’t able to meet the Prime Minister, wasn’t able to proceed with a scheduled meeting. He also wasn’t able to have his scheduled meeting with the President of Korea or the Prime Minister of India. So, this is understandable in the circumstances.”
Wong said the Prime Minister is still considering whether to attend the upcoming NATO summit, where a rescheduled face-to-face may take place. “This is a time where you have to lean in to engaging with countries around the world on how we can protect and preserve peace and security for all our peoples,” she said.
The missed meeting raised eyebrows in Canberra and New Delhi alike, not least because Albanese has made no secret of his warm rapport with Modi. During the Indian leader’s 2023 visit to Australia, Albanese famously introduced him at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena as “the boss”, receiving a roar of approval from the large diaspora crowd.
Since then, the two countries have moved closer through trade and climate partnerships, including progress on green hydrogen cooperation and the implementation of the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA). But this moment—Albanese’s absence—sparked chatter about whether the momentum might slow.
Wong was quick to clarify that the Prime Minister and Modi remain in regular contact. “The Prime Minister looks forward to building on three very constructive phone calls,” she said, adding that logistics, not diplomacy, had prevented the meeting from going ahead. “I’m sure there will be a meeting scheduled.”
The missed Modi meeting came after Trump left the G7 abruptly, disrupting several bilateral discussions. Wong said the early departure had ripple effects: “He wasn’t able to have his scheduled meetings with the President of Korea or the Prime Minister of India,” she said, making it clear Australia wasn’t the only country affected.
Still, political observers noted the optics. Albanese has championed the Australia-India relationship publicly and repeatedly—especially among Australia’s fast-growing Indian community. And in the absence of a meeting, critics have asked whether enough is being done to advance key issues like trade diversification, defence cooperation, and rights-based dialogue behind closed doors.
Wong maintained the government’s commitment. “This is a time when the world is increasingly unstable,” she said, pointing to conflict zones and escalating risks. “You’ve got to lean in, you’ve got to engage.”
Wong acknowledged this broader climate too, noting that Australia is watching events in the Middle East and Europe closely. Her comments on the travel risks posed by the Iran-Israel conflict reflected the current foreign policy environment, one in which high-level meetings sometimes take a backseat to crisis management.
Back home, questions will likely continue about whether the government is doing enough to keep pace with India’s strategic ambitions. But Wong’s remarks suggest that while the Modi meeting was missed, the relationship remains on course—at least for now.
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