New Delhi [India], May 2 (ANI): High Commissioner of Australia to India, Philip Green, said that India and Australia are fortunate to have world leaders that respect each other.

Green, in a conversation with ANI, said that India and Australia's relations have been progressing, but he wanted to take it even higher.

'There is no question that we have been building and are now at the highest point. The trick for me is that I want to take it even higher; that is what my assignment here is all about. We have some very useful tailwinds. There are three underlying drivers of this relationship that are not going away. First, Australia and India are increasingly strategically aligned, both bilaterally and through the Quad. Second, there is a very strong level of complementarity between our economies,' Green said.

'Third, we have that human bridge of more than a million people of Indian origin. We are fortunate that we have leaders who respect one another, get on very well, and listen hard to each other's perspectives. I don't see those factors changing,' he said.

Green also said that his wife and he have been impressed by the diversity of the country and can discuss a wide range of world issues, culture, and literature.

'I have been here for more than two and a half years now. Your civilization is millennia old, so the longer I am here, the less I really know, but the more I am fascinated. I have visited 21 of your states and hope it will be 22 in a month's time. The diversity of your society is so impressive. When you talk about food, I have to say I go to the other end of the subcontinent to Kerala to get the food I like most. But it ought to be beyond food and cricket,' he said.

'What is very special about this society is the way in which there are so many thoughtful, articulate, and smart people with whom I can engage on world issues, culture, and literature. For me and my wife, this is a great place to learn, be challenged, and grow,' he added.

Indian-Australian communities, now Australia's second-largest and fastest-growing overseas-born group, form the living bridge between both countries, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade stated. (ANI)