Melbourne, July 10 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian PM Anthony Albanese on Friday issued a joint statement after their Annual Leaders’ Summit in Melbourne, announcing a series of landmark agreements across defence, security, energy, critical minerals, cyber technologies and trade that further deepen the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
The two leaders also unveiled a Joint Declaration on Defence and Security Cooperation and reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening collaboration in the Indo-Pacific, while agreeing to accelerate negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) and a bilateral investment treaty.
Welcoming Prime Minister Modi, Albanese described India as one of Australia’s closest partners and underscored the growing importance of bilateral ties.
“Prime Minister Modi, you are a true friend of Australia, and it has been a great honour to host you for our Annual Leaders Summit today,” Albanese said.
Highlighting the trajectory of bilateral relations, he added, “Australia and India are close partners and even closer friends. Six years into our comprehensive strategic partnership, Australia’s relationship with India has never been more consequential than it is today. Our partnership has never been stronger.”
Albanese said the two sides had expanded cooperation across multiple sectors through “new landmark agreements”.
“Prime Minister Modi and I have released a Joint Declaration on Defence and Security Cooperation to deepen our practical partnership. Australia values India as a top-tier security partner, and the Declaration reflects our shared commitment to a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region,” he said.
He further announced that both countries had endorsed a Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap and agreed to establish a new Australia-India Partnership on Cyber, Critical Technologies and Supply Chains.
On energy cooperation, Albanese confirmed the signing of an administrative arrangement to operationalise uranium exports to India under the 2015 Australia-India Nuclear Cooperation Agreement.
“Today we can confirm the signing of the administrative arrangement to enable uranium exports to India for peaceful purposes under the 2015 Australia-India Nuclear Cooperation Agreement,” he said, adding that the move would support India’s clean energy transition while creating opportunities for Australia’s resources sector.
The Australian Prime Minister also announced continued cooperation on critical minerals, support for India’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme through a temporary space tracking terminal on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and progress on cultural repatriation initiatives between the two countries.
Addressing the joint media statement, Prime Minister Modi thanked Albanese for his leadership in strengthening bilateral ties.
“I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my friend, Prime Minister Albanese, for the grand welcome and warm hospitality extended to me and my delegation in Melbourne. Thanks to his personal efforts and to his commitment, India-Australia relations have attained new heights and acquired breadth and depth as well,” PM Modi said.
The Prime Minister noted that the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership had witnessed “unprecedented progress” over the past few years.
“The Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement signed in 2022 has consistently broadened the scope of our trade and investment. We have now decided to work at a fast pace on a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement – that is CECA. An agreement that will be balanced, ambitious and win-win for both countries,” he said.
PM Modi also highlighted the importance of the newly signed nuclear energy agreement.
“We have signed an important agreement today on nuclear energy. This will pave the way for uranium supplies from Australia to India and give our clean energy objectives fresh momentum,” he said.
Emphasising cooperation in emerging technologies and critical minerals, PM Modi announced that both countries had launched the Australia-India Partnership on Advanced Cyber and Critical Technologies and Supply Chains.
“Our cooperation in critical minerals is important for our strategic security and clean energy transition… Together we will also work on a critical minerals corridor,” he said.
On regional security, PM Modi reaffirmed the shared commitment of both countries to maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.
“Today we have released an important joint declaration to increase coordination between our armies… Our maritime security collaboration roadmap will infuse new strength into our shared efforts in the Indo-Pacific,” he said.
The Prime Minister also reiterated the two countries’ common position against terrorism.
“Both India and Australia believe that terrorism is a serious challenge not just for one single country, but for entire humanity. And that is why our fight against terrorism is shared, and our resolve is unbreakable,” PM Modi said.
Concluding his remarks on a lighter note in Melbourne, often described as Australia’s sporting capital, PM Modi said cricket had become “a commonly understood language of diplomacy between India and Australia”.
“The agenda is focused like a one-day match. Decisions are quick like a T20 match. And partnership is long-term and intense like a test match,” he remarked.
The summit marked another significant step in expanding India-Australia cooperation across strategic, economic, technological and people-to-people sectors, reinforcing the two democracies’ shared vision for a secure, prosperous and rules-based Indo-Pacific.
–IANS
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