Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith Arrives Today, Attacks on Agenda

Against a backdrop of continuing attacks on Indian students in his country and New Delhi’s resultant concerns, Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith arrives in the national capital on a three-day visit on Tuesday, said reports.

Upon his arrival, Minister Smith will commence official engagements with a meeting with Commerce Minister Anand Sharma.

The two sides are expected to discuss economic relations and the progress of a study exploring possibilities of a free trade agreement (FTA) between New Delhi and Canberra.

In the evening, Minister Smith will join Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal to watch the crucial Australia – India fixture in the ongoing Hockey World Cup.

On Wednesday, Minister Smith will meet his Indian counterpart SM Krishna, the talks are likely to involve an array of bilateral issues, including attacks on Indian students studying at Australian campuses.

This is the second meeting between the Foreign Ministers, the two had earlier met in London in late January.

“(I) will brief the Indian government on the actions taken by authorities to create a safe and rewarding study environment for Indian students in Australia,” said Smith in a pre-departure statement issued in Melbourne.

“Krishna and I will discuss Australia’s and India’s close cooperation in trying to solve the recent problems faced by some Indians in Australia,” he added.

Concluding his official engagements Smith will meet Minister Sibal for talks on Wednesday before he leaves for Singapore Thursday morning.