Australia says Arunachal is part of India

New Delhi: Newly-appointed Australian High Commissioner Peter Verghese said Australia always considered Arunachal a part of India and its voting at Asian Development Bank against the loan was based on a broad position formulated by the management of the lending agency.

"It was not a pro-China or anti-India vote. We thought we should take a position based on the assessment by the management of the ADB," Verghese said in New Delhi.

"We always supported the Indian position (on Arunachal) and there is no change of our stand," said Verghese, who presented his credentials to President Pratibha Patil on Thursday morning.