Jaishankar speaks to counterparts from Australia, Indonesia, Maldives and Bhutan

The External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held separate telephonic talks with his counterparts from Australia, Indonesia, Maldives and Bhutan on Wednesday.

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday held separate telephonic talks with his counterparts from Australia, Indonesia, Maldives and Bhutan with a focus on further boosting bilateral ties.

In their conversation, Jaishankar and Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi exchanged views on the situation in Myanmar and Afghanistan and resolved to work closely in the G-20.

"Good talk with FM @Menlu_RI at the beginning of the year. Agreed to take forward our bilateral ties. Exchanged views on Myanmar and Afghanistan. Will work closely in the G-20 troika," Jaishankar tweeted.

The presidency of the G-20 rotates every year among its member states with the country that holds the presidency working together with its predecessor and successor, also known as Troika.

Italy held the G-20 presidency in 2021 while Indonesia will play the role in 2022 and India will assume the charge in 2023. Italy, Indonesia and India are the Troika countries at present

"A New Year call with Australian FM and Quad partner @MarisePayne. Confident that 2022 will see even greater advancement in our ties," Jaishankar tweeted after the talks with Payne.

About his conversation with his Maldivian counterpart Abdulla Shahid, Jaishankar said the great progress in bilateral ties was recognised in the talks and the mutual benefits were very visible.

"...Conveyed my New Year's greetings to the people and Government of Maldives," he added on Twitter.

Referring to the talks with Bhutanese Foreign Minister Tandi Dorji, Jaishankar said the unique relationship between the two countries stands even stronger amidst the coronavirus challenge.

"A warm conversation and New Year greetings exchange with @FMBhutan. Assessed the continuing progress in our Development Partnership. Our unique relationship stands even stronger amidst the Corona challenge," Jaishankar said.

He had spoken to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday night and to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday.

PTI