Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles has praised India for the “tough decision” of reaching the ceasefire with Pakistan following the four-day military conflict last month, calling it an “act of Indian leadership”.
Marles called the April 22 Pahalgam attack “appalling” and said PM Albanese was among the first global leaders to talk to PM Narendra Modi after the news broke.
“Firstly, we met with the news of what happened in Pahalgam with utter shock,” he said, when asked about India’s response to the terror attack.
“This was an appalling attack, and (Australian) Prime Minister Albanese personally spoke to Prime Minister Modi almost immediately after these events to extend condolences to India in respect of the loss of lives,” he said.
“Even today, we reiterated that solidarity. We stand with India and with all countries to combat terrorism, and we want to continue to work with India in combating terrorism in all its forms around the world,” the Australian Deputy Prime Minister said.
