Australia wants India to be \\\'best partner in business\\\'

MELBOURNE, Aug 11 (PTI): Describing India as "natural partner", Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has said that her country was seeking to elevate its status with India to 'Best partner in business' from business partners.

"Australia and India are most certainly 'Partners in Business' but natural partners across the board. The Coalition Government is seeking to elevate Australia to the status of India's 'best partner in business'," Bishop told a gathering of high-profile business leaders and attendees at Australia India Business Council (AIBC) in Sydney recently.

"Sure, we have a healthy trade relationship - two-way trade was valued at more than 15 billion dollars last year - but we can do better than that. At the end of last year, Indian investment in Australia was about 11 billion dollars but this Government is determined to make it easier for India to investors to invest in this country," she said.

Lauding the AIBC for its commitment to forge and foster ties between the two sides, Bishop said: "one of the common refrains about the bilateral relationship is that it is one of great potential but never quite realized."

However, she said the relationship was now on move which was unstoppable with the two new governments which were both committed to economic reform and open for business.