New Delhi [India], February 14 (ANI): The first India-Australia Senior Officials' Consultation (SOC) on Antarctica took place in virtual mode on Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

The SOC was led by Paramita Tripathi, Joint Secretary, Oceania and Indo-Pacific Divisions, Ministry of External Affairs, from the Indian side and Adam McCarthy, Chief Counsel and First Assistant Secretary, Legal Division, and Sarah Storey, First Assistant Secretary, South and Central Asia Division from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade from the Australian side.

'Productive discussions were held between the two sides across a wide range of issues. The SOC also saw participation from representatives of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, and the Australian Antarctic Division, Government of Australia,' the MEA statement read.

In recent years, the India-Australia relationship has charted a whole new trajectory of transformational growth. Bilateral cooperation has seen exponential growth in existing frameworks of cooperation and further expanded across a wide spectrum of new areas opening up new possibilities, both at bilateral as well as global level, as per the MEA.

India and Australia have partnerships in the areas of energy, science, technology and space.

PM Modi and Australian PM Anthony Albanese held a meeting in November last year on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Brazil. The two leaders had shared the ambition to move faster, work together and deploy our complementary capabilities to drive climate action.

During the meeting, the Prime Ministers welcomed the launch of the India-Australia Renewable Energy Partnership (REP) which would provide the framework for practical cooperation in priority areas such as solar PV, green hydrogen, energy storage, two-way investment in renewable energy projects and allied areas; and upgraded skills training for the renewables workforce of the future, according to the MEA.

The leaders underlined the role of research and innovation, skills development, and professional exchange, including participation in each other's conferences, and sustainable practices in developing the critical minerals sector in support of the global clean energy transition, including as inputs to technologies such as batteries and rooftop solar. (ANI)