• Australia has maintained close ties with India, despite reports of expelling two Indian spies in 2020.
• Treasurer Jim Chalmers stated that Australia has a good economic relationship with India.
• The allegations come after Western allies raised concerns about India’s covert actions on foreign soil.

Despite reports of expelling two Indian spies from the country in 2020, the Australian government has emphasized its close ties with Delhi. In 2021, Australia’s intelligence chief acknowledged the presence of foreign agents operating locally in the previous year but did not disclose their nationality. However, multiple news outlets reported this week that the agents were from India.

Australia has neither confirmed nor denied those reports but has stated its keenness to counter foreign interference.

“I don’t propose to get into those stories,” Treasurer Jim Chalmers told the ABC on Wednesday.

“We have got a good relationship with India… It’s an important economic relationship. It’s become closer in recent years as a consequence of efforts on both sides.”

Three years ago, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) chief Mike Burgess revealed in a speech that a “nest of spies” had developed “targeted relationships with current and former politicians, a foreign embassy, and a state police service” throughout 2020.

They had “monitored their country’s diaspora community”, asked a public servant about “security protocols at a major airport” and “tried to obtain classified information about Australia’s trade relationships”, Mr. Burgess said.

He also mentioned that they had recruited an Australian government security clearance holder with knowledge of sensitive defense technology before ASIO disrupted their operation.

On Monday, the Washington Post reported that Australia expelled two Indian operatives during the 2020 counter-intelligence efforts.

The private news channel reported that a group of Indian agents had targeted classified information on Australian trade, security, and defense projects.

An ASIO spokesperson declined to comment “on intelligence matters.” The Indian High Commission in Canberra has not responded to a request for comment.

The claims come after Western allies recently raised concerns about allegations of India’s covert actions on foreign soil. These accusations include linking India to the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada in June last year – an accusation that Delhi vigorously denies.

In recent years, Australia and India have aimed to deepen ties through a series of agreements targeting trade, energy, and migration.

Alongside the US and Japan, both countries are members of the strategic Quad alliance, which aims to bolster security in the Indo-Pacific amid concerns over China’s growing influence.

India ranks as Australia’s sixth largest trading partner, while approximately 750,000 people in Australia claim Indian ancestry.

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