India, Australia seal landmark pacts on nuclear energy and defence amid regional tensions

Melbourne, Jul 9 (PTI) India and Australia on Thursday sealed a raft of landmark pacts spanning civil nuclear energy, maritime security and critical minerals sectors, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese reinforced the vital role of the bilateral partnership in ensuring a peaceful Indo-Pacific. A major highlight of the summit talks between the two leaders was their focus on significantly ramping up defence ties, especially in the maritime domain, a move that came amid heightened regional anxiety following China's test of a submarine-launched, long-range ballistic missile earlier this week. Notably, the agreement on civil nuclear energy to facilitate the commercial supply of uranium from Australia to India to fuel New Delhi's nuclear power projects was sealed after over two years of negotiations, and it followed nearly 12 years after the two countries inked a historic civil nuclear cooperation pact. In another significant decision, India and Australia decided to work expeditiously to firm up the proposed Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement as well as a bilateral investment protection framework to further enhance the trade and investment relations. A joint declaration on defence and security cooperation, a maritime security collaboration roadmap, a joint statement on energy security, and a partnership for cyber, critical technologies and supply chains were among 18 pacts signed following summit talks between the two prime ministers. Modi described as "unparalleled" the outcomes from his talks with Albanese, especially in areas of renewable energy, climate action, nuclear energy, critical minerals, technology and education. The agreements sealed at the summit also included one between the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the Maritime Border Command (MBC) of Australia, and it will provide cooperation in the field of maritime law enforcement, domain awareness, and maritime border protection. The two sides also vowed to work closely in shipbuilding, ship repair and maintenance. Modi landed in Australia from Indonesia on the second leg of his three-nation tour, aimed at boosting trade, energy and defence ties against the backdrop of an increasingly fractured geopolitical environment. Under the provisions of the energy security framework, India and Australia vowed to strengthen energy security by maintaining a stable, secure and reliable supply of coal, diesel, other liquid fuels and natural gas. The maritime security roadmap provides for defence and security collaboration with a long-term perspective to enhance collective strength, besides deepening cooperation in the defence industrial sector to co-develop military hardware and build supply chain resilience. It will also accelerate efforts to build inter-operability and information sharing between the defence forces of the two sides and expand aircraft deployments from each other's territories, the document said. At a media briefing, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, replying to a question on China's missile test, said the Australian prime minister flagged the issue with concern and that both India and Australia would like to see peace, security, and stability in the Indo-Pacific. In his media statement, Modi elaborated on the outcomes in areas such as renewable energy, climate action, nuclear energy, critical minerals, technology and education. "Today, we have signed an important agreement in the field of nuclear energy. This will open the way for uranium supplies from Australia to India and give new impetus to our clean energy objectives," he said. "Our cooperation in critical minerals is vital to our strategic security and clean energy transition. With this in mind, today we have launched the Australia-India Partnership on Cyber, Critical Technologies, and Supply Chains," he said. Misri said both sides were able to firm up the pact with mutual satisfaction. The prime minister said both sides will also work together on a critical minerals corridor. Modi also mentioned growing engagement between the two countries in the defence domain and emphasised the importance of a free and stable Indo-Pacific. The new initiatives to bolster defence ties came amid growing concerns over China's increasing military muscle-flexing in the Indo-Pacific. "The Indo-Pacific is not just the confluence of two oceans. It also symbolises the shared aspirations of like-minded democracies like India and Australia," Modi said. "Today we have issued an important Joint Declaration to enhance cooperation in defence and security. Through the India-Australia Defence Innovation Corridor, we will work to connect defence startups and industries," he said. The prime minister said the India-Australia Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap will give new impetus to shared efforts in the Indo-Pacific. "We will also move forward together in shipbuilding, ship repair, and maintenance." An announcement was also made on the deployment of an Indian military instructor at the Australian Defence College for 2028-29. Describing India and Australia as two vibrant democracies and ocean powers, Modi said the common worldview of the two countries is an inspiration to continue moving forward with deep mutual trust. "The Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement signed in 2022 has steadily expanded our trade and investment horizons. We have now decided to expedite work on the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), which will be balanced, ambitious, and a win-win for both countries. We will also move forward rapidly on the Bilateral Investment Treaty," he said. Modi also said that India and Australia recognised that terrorism poses a serious challenge not just to any one country, but to all of humanity. "Therefore, our fight against terrorism is shared, our resolve unwavering, and our cooperation continues to strengthen," he said. "We also believe that the tensions and conflicts raging in many parts of the world can only be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. Together, we will further strengthen peace, stability, freedom of navigation, and a rules-based order throughout the Indo-Pacific region," he said. In his remarks, Albanese said Australia's relationship with India has never been more consequential than it is today. The Australian prime minister said the pact on nuclear energy will facilitate uranium exports from Australia to India for peaceful purposes. "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," he said. Albanese said the two sides are focusing on diversifying ties to grow from strength to strength. "Six years into our strategic partnership, Australia’s relationship with India has never been more consequential than it is today. Our partnership has never been stronger," he said. "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," he said. Albanese said the joint declaration on defence and security cooperation will provide for deepening "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 inter-operability between our defence forces," he said. Following the Modi-Albanese talks, a letter of approval was handed over to the Australian side for Victoria University to operate its campus in Gurugram. A separate letter of intent was issued to Flinders University to set up its campus in Bengaluru. In his media briefing, Misri said both leaders recognised that it was time to raise the ambition of the India-Australia partnership on the emerging issues such as cyber security, critical technologies, supply chain diversification, and technology security. The foreign secretary said Modi and Albanese also exchanged perspectives about regional and multilateral matters of mutual interest, including shared concerns such as terrorism and violent extremism. He said PM Modi once again expressed India's desire for sustained peace in West Asia. "Both leaders also extended their support to Quad and identified it as a key mechanism to respond to some of the region's most pressing challenges, including in areas related to infrastructure, critical and emerging technologies, cyber security, supply chain resilience, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief, maritime security, and counter-terrorism," he said. "One of the newer areas of cooperation between the two countries is space, where Australia is taking steps to extend support to India's Gaganyaan, the human spaceflight programme, and more steps are being taken in this regard," he said. PTI MPB GSP GSP