Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, in Melbourne for bilateral talks today. The two leaders are expected to discuss critical minerals, trade, defence and security cooperation during the meeting.
Earlier in the day, the two leaders participated in the India-Australia CEO Forum and the Economic Roadmap Business reception.
PM Modi arrived in Australia on 8 July for a three-day visit, greeted with a red-carpet welcome in Melbourne. PM Modi previously visited Australia in 2023.
What’s on PM Modi’s agenda?
During the meeting today, Modi and Albanese are expected to hold wide-ranging discussions on strengthening cooperation in defence and security, trade and investment, education, mobility and people-to-people ties.
In his departure statement before the visit, PM Modi had said the Australia visit would also provide an opportunity to deepen bilateral cooperation in emerging and critical technologies, sports and sports science.
A report in the Australian Financial Review on Wednesday said an agreement on uranium exports to India could be finalised. Though both nations agreed a nuclear cooperation pact in 2014, the export of uranium has been limited over concerns about ensuring nuclear fuel is solely used for peaceful purposes, such as energy generation, news agency Reuters said.
When asked about a possible uranium exports deal, Albanese told reporters on Wednesday that he would have “more to say about that with Prime Minister Modi.”
“But we’ve engaged constructively, and so I look forward to. There’ll be a range of announcements that we make together,” he said.
India is Australia’s fifth-largest trading partner, after China, Japan, the US, and South Korea, while around 1 million Australians claim Indian ancestry.
PM Modi is also scheduled to interact with the Indian diaspora at an event in Melbourne on Thursday evening. Security has been tightened near the stadium in Melbourne following reports of protests, Australian media reported.
India, Australia ‘natural and trusted partners: Modi
In his address during the CEO Forum earlier today, PM Modi described India and Australia as “natural and trusted partners”, saying the two countries should deepen cooperation as the world grapples with uncertainty, supply chain disruptions and an energy crisis.
“The world is currently navigating a period marked by uncertainty, supply chain disruptions, and an energy crisis. In such times, it is both natural and essential for India and Australia to move forward as natural and trusted partners,” he said.
PM Modi’s remarks come on a day when the United States launched a spate of additional strikes in Iran “to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.” The strikes came in response to attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
PM Modi arrived in Australia after concluding a three-day visit to Indonesia, where he held talks with President Prabowo Subianto, following which the two sides inked a raft of deals on agriculture and defence, including for the BrahMos cruise missile system.
In a special gesture of friendship, PM Modi was seen off by President Prabowo at the airport. In Indonesia, PM Modi, along with President Prabowo, also visited the majestic Prambanan Temple complex in Yogyakarta, marking the inauguration of a joint conservation project for this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The world is currently navigating a period marked by uncertainty, supply chain disruptions, and an energy crisis. In such times, it is both natural and essential for India and Australia to move forward as natural and trusted partners.
From Australia, Modi will travel to New Zealand on Friday, the last leg of his trip.
#Modi #meet #Albanese #Melbourne #today #Uranium #trade #defence #top #agenda
