Sydney: Armed with an "ambitious but do-able" agenda, Australia's Indian-origin High Commissioner-designate Peter Varghese will head to New Delhi next month to "reinforce" the bilateral ties that had been "shaken" by the recent attacks here on students from the community.
"India is moving towards a prominent position internationally and so, will impinge on everyone's agenda. This emerging economy has all the makings of a global powerhouse, with a bigger and more exciting role to play and we will all see more of it," the former top spy told Sydney-based local Indian newspaper Indian Link.
The 53-year-old Kenya-born Malayali, who is the first ethnic Indian to be named as High Commissioner to New Delhi, disputes his appointment as a damage control exercise, saying the decision was "taken well before" the recent "unfortunate events" unfolded.
Varghese, who will take over in August, said one of his "priority tasks" will be to "reinforce the bilateral equations that have been shaken up by the recent student issue."
"It has been a difficult period and short-term impact (on bilateral ties) will be there," he said referring to the 22 attacks on Indian students in Sydney and Melbourne that sparked an outrage in India.
Sounding an optimistic tone, he said, "I am very positive that our long-term relationship with recover and thrive".