"Discussing ACITI": EAM Jaishankar holds trilateral meeting with Australian, Canadian counterparts

Atlanta: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday (local time) held a trilateral meeting with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Atlanta, discussing the Australia-Canada-India Technology (ACITI) Partnership.

In November 2025, in a significant initiative, India, Australia, and Canada on Saturday agreed to enter into a new trilateral technology and innovation partnership - the Australia-Canada-India Technology and Innovation (ACITI) Partnership.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who were in Johannesburg for the G20 Summit.

The initiative will draw on the natural strengths of the three countries and have an emphasis on green energy innovation and building resilient supply chains, including in critical minerals, the Union Ministry of External Affairs said in a release.

"It will deepen their respective ambition and strategic collaboration towards net zero and drive further diversification of supply chains towards a secure, sustainable, and resilient future. The Partnership will also examine the development and mass adoption of artificial intelligence to improve the lives of our citizens," the release said.

The leaders agreed that officials should convene in the first quarter of 2026 to take the initiative forward.

Meanwhile, on Friday (local time), India asserted that military solutions cannot resolve global challenges and that diplomacy must be allowed to settle such matters.

Speaking during the first plenary session of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Atlanta, Jaishankar also flagged attacks affecting civilian shipping and seafarers, underscoring the vital requirement to uphold freedom of navigation and halt assaults under international legal frameworks, particularly UNCLOS.

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"Emphasised that in the face of global challenges, military solutions will not work and diplomacy must be given a chance," Jaishankar stated via X, outlining key points delivered during the sessions hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Jaishankar's remarks unfolded amid ongoing conflicts across various regions, encompassing the Russia-Ukraine war and mounting tensions in West Asia.

Furthermore, Jaishankar pointed out that developing economies are being deprived of their right to industrialise through market flooding, the weaponisation of supply chains, constricted market access and artificial distortions. "This must cease," he stated, while highlighting the necessity of establishing resilient, alternative connectivity networks as international markets undergo de-risking and diversification.

"Tactical calculations should not lead to overlooking the dangers of terrorism. It is a high-risk activity which has come back to bite even the practitioners," he cautioned.

Highlighting regional vulnerabilities, Jaishankar noted that the Global South bears an unfair share of the fallout from assaults on civilian shipping and seafarers, which severely jeopardises the affordability and availability of fuel, food and agricultural nutrients. Statistics indicate that at least 22 Indian nationals, comprising 14 seafarers, have lost their lives since the war began in West Asia in February this year.

Having arrived in Atlanta on Thursday evening, Jaishankar interacted with his counterparts from numerous nations ahead of the formal proceedings.

The United States is scheduled to host the G20 Leaders' Summit in Miami on December 14-15.

On the sidelines of the Atlanta gathering, Jaishankar is also slated to participate in a Quad meeting alongside top diplomats from Japan, Australia and the United States. This marks the second Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting convened during the current year, preceding the anticipated leaders' summit scheduled to take place in the Philippines next month.

Upon concluding his engagements in Atlanta, Jaishankar will travel to Antigua and Barbuda to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting set for November 1-4.