Canberra, Aug 13 — Former Australian prime minister Scott Morrison lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing a strong national‑interest orientation and a pragmatic approach to India’s foreign policy, and credited External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar for helping carry that vision forward, he said in an interview as New Delhi prepared for Independence Day on Saturday, Aug. 15.
Morrison told Italian‑Indian entrepreneur and analyst Vas Shenoy that India is increasingly focused on realising its potential while being guided by national interests. “India continues to honour its independence and its independent settings, but not slavishly, not for its own sake. Its interests drive it into closer engagement with the United States, Australia, Japan, Korea and many other countries,” he said, adding that Modi is “quite unapologetic” about reaching out to whoever advances India’s interests.
He described Modi’s foreign policy as practical and national‑interest driven, with Dr. Jaishankar serving as “an able lieutenant” who has worked industriously to follow through on that leadership. Morrison highlighted economic, technology and space sectors as major growth areas and predicted that “India will be a space powerhouse over the next 20 or 30 years as its space economy matures.”
On security and regional groupings, Morrison said New Delhi’s active participation is central to the Quad’s significance and success. He urged the Quad to give greater weight to the “Indo” in the Indo‑Pacific and noted a renewed focus on maritime security under the current U.S. administration, saying foreign ministers have continued to make progress. “Secretary of State Rubio and his Deputy Secretary are very aware of the significant role of the Quad. They’ve taken a strong view about it when it comes to maritime security, and not just in the Pacific but the Indo‑Pacific,” he said.
Morrison welcomed recent visits by the Indian and Japanese prime ministers to Australia and recalled a lengthy conversation with Modi on Indo‑Pacific developments, stressing that India’s engagement makes the Quad unique and critical to its success. He urged European companies to deepen understanding of the Indo‑Pacific, calling the region the geopolitical centre of the world and pointing to Australia and India as important platforms for that engagement.
Original Source: https://tripurachronicle.in/world-news/pm-modi-has-brought-strong-national-interest-focus-to-indias-foreign-policy-scott-morrison/
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Publish Date: 2026-08-13 17:10:00
