Global Courant 2023-05-24 13:00:00
SYDNEY – Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in Sydney on Wednesday to discuss regional security and economic ties.
The two leaders also signed a migration agreement to boost Indian student and business travel to Australia.
In addition, they discussed the impact of Russia’s conflict with Ukraine on developing countries, particularly food and fuel security, Indian officials said.
Mr Modi is visiting Australia for the first time since 2014, two months after Mr Albanese traveled to India.
India and Australia are members of the Quad group of countries, which also includes Japan and the United States, and Mr Modi is said to be attending a meeting of Quad leaders in Sydney.
But that meeting was instead held on the sidelines, a Group of Seven summit in Tokyo.
That’s because US President Joe Biden had to return directly to Washington to deal with a domestic debt ceiling crisis.
“Quad leaders stand together for an open, stable, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific region… where all countries, large and small, benefit from a regional balance that preserves peace,” Albanian told reporters after a bilateral meeting with Modi.
Mr Albanese said he and Mr Modi had also discussed trade, migration and renewable energy, and that the two nations had set up a hydrogen task force to expand clean energy cooperation.
Australia, whose largest trading partner is China, is trying to diversify its export markets, including through closer trade ties with India.
India is Australia’s sixth largest trading partner, with approximately 750,000 people in Australia claiming Indian descent.
Mr Modi said they had discussed increasing cooperation in mining and critical minerals, and would work towards a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement.
“We talked about taking the comprehensive strategic partnership between Australia and India to greater heights over the next decade,” he told reporters.
Indian officials later said the next round of trade talks will be in June and July.
A migration deal “will further strengthen our living bridge,” Modi said, referring to Australia’s Indian diaspora, the second largest and fastest growing diaspora group in the country.
