Source: Prime Minister of Australia
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA: Can I begin by welcoming Prime Minister Modi and his delegation here in Melbourne. 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. 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. We share a focus on deepening and diversifying the relationship between our countries so we can continue to grow from strength to strength. Today we have done exactly that across the breadth of our relationship. With new landmark agreements, we are expanding our relationship across defence and security, education, science and technology, and energy security and critical minerals. 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. We will boost strategic coordination, increase the complexity of our defence exercises and further build interoperability between our defence forces. We undertake to consult on defence related developments in the Indo-Pacific that affect our shared interests. In addition, we have endorsed a Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap and agreed to a new Australia-India Partnership on Cyber, Critical Technologies and Supply Chains. Today we have welcomed the signature of the Memorandum of Understanding for the Australia-Canada-India Technology and Innovation Partnership – driving trilateral cooperation with our shared partner Canada on critical and emerging technologies. And as we expand our cooperation in science and technology, we have agreed to commission a temporary space tracking terminal on Cocos Keeling Islands which will support India’s landmark Gaganyaan human spaceflight program. Of course, no country has been immune to the economic impacts from the conflict in the Middle East. And as such, the Prime Minister and I have welcomed a joint statement on Energy Security. This statement recognises the importance of supply chain resilience and accelerating the energy transition, including promoting the uptake of renewable energy resources and the electrification of our energy systems. For too long we have worked with connected supply chains but disconnected approaches. This action is a step to bridge that divide. 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. The arrangement facilitates Australian uranium exports to India to help increase the share of non fossil fuel power capacity, providing an additional market for the Australian resources sector. I’m also pleased to announce that Australia will re-award Perdaman’s major project status for its Project Ceres, helping facilitate the development of Australia’s largest urea plant in Karratha, Western Australia. Further, we have confirmed their ongoing cooperation on critical minerals, including a refreshed MOU between Geoscience Australia and Geological Survey of India. Finally, I welcome progress to repatriate the remains of an Australian First Nations ancestor held in the Government Museum of Chennai. The ancestor will be voluntarily and unconditionally repatriated by India to their traditional custodians. In the spirit of friendship, Australia will voluntarily return several items of cultural significance to India previously held in the collections of the National Gallery of Australia and the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Prime Minister Modi, I thank you sincerely, you and your delegation for your warm engagement. While we are separated by an ocean, we are indeed the closest of friends. Today marks the next era in our partnership as we are reminded that we need to continue our ongoing work. I invite you, Prime Minister, to deliver your remarks.
< SHRI NARENDRA MODI, PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA: