Overview
- Former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott praised New Delhi's flagship forum as a model for global debate, calling it 'better than Davos' and more substantive than China's Boao Forum.
- Abbott rejected claims that India has turned authoritarian under the BJP, citing free elections, a vibrant media, and an independent judiciary.
- He pointed to this year's participation by the Israeli foreign minister, who appeared virtually, and Iran's deputy foreign minister as evidence of open, unscripted discussion.
- Abbott credited External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar as the Dialogue's 'brainchild' and noted his active presence across sessions as speaker and listener.
- He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi sets a restrained tone by attending the opening to hear the chief guest—this year Finland's President Alexander Stubb—without delivering a speech.