AMN / WEB DESK
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today raised with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese the issue of recent attacks on temples in Australia.
The matter came up for discussion during their wide-ranging dialogue that was aimed at expanding overall ties.
In his media statement, Modi said it is a matter of regret that reports of attacks on temples have been coming regularly from Australia over the past few weeks and that it is natural that such news worries everyone in India.
“I conveyed these feelings and concerns to Prime Minister Albanese and he has assured me that the safety of the Indian community is of special priority for him,” Modi said in presence of the Australian prime minister.
“Our teams will be in regular contact on this matter, and will cooperate as much as possible,” he said.
Modi said he discussed maritime security in the Indo-Pacific and ways to enhance mutual security with his Australian counterpart. “We discussed mutual cooperation to develop reliable and strong global supply chains,” Modi said.
Prime Minister Modi also said that both sides are working on a comprehensive economic agreement.
“In the field of defence, we have made remarkable agreements in the last few years, including logistics support for each other’s militaries,” Modi said.
In his comments, Albanese said Modi and he agreed on the conclusion of India-Australia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement as soon as possible.
“I am hopeful that we will be able to finalise it this year,” he said.
The Prime Minister said that India and Australia also talked about developing credible and robust global supply chains.
Terming renewable energy a key priority area for cooperation, Mr. Modi said, both the countries are working together in the field of clean hydrogen and solar.
Highlighting the benefit of Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement, the Prime Minister said, it has opened up new opportunities in trade and investment between the two countries. Mr. Modi said, he raised the issue of attacks on temples in Australia before the Australian Prime Minister and Mr. Albanese has assured that safety and well-being of the Indian community in Australia is a priority for him.
Speaking on this occasion, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, the relationship with India is multifaceted. He said, high-level contact between the two countries has further strengthened cooperation across many sectors. He said, both the leaders agreed on an early conclusion of India-Australia ambitious Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement as soon as possible. He expressed hope that both the countries will be able to finalise it this year.
Earlier, the External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. He said, Mr. Albanese’ visit and annual summit between the two nations will take their ties to a higher level.
India and Australia share warm and friendly relations. The Strategic Partnership between the two countries was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2020.
Last year, both the countries had signed a free trade agreement called the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement.
The bilateral trade between the two countries amounts to nearly 27 billion dollars in 2021-22. The bilateral trade is expected to cross 45 to 50 billion dollars by 2035.
The Australian prime minister arrived in Delhi on Thursday evening after concluding his engagements in Ahmedabad and Mumbai.