Sydney, Aug. 13 -- Former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has asserted that India will be indispensable to the future strategic balance of the Indo-Pacific, stating that New Delhi's engagement is what gives the Quad its distinct character and fundamentally sets it apart from other regional groupings.

Speaking online as part of the Indo-Mediterranean Dialogues, the former Australian Prime Minister discussed the rapidly changing security architecture stretching from the Middle East and Indian Ocean to the Pacific, highlighting the growing strategic importance of India alongside the emergence of the new Mecca Defence Pact, China's expanding regional influence, and the future of the Quad and AUKUS.

Morrison emphasised that the inte...