NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison on Monday attended the second India Australia virtual summit.
They discussed their commitment towards strengthening bilateral trade, migration and mobility and education.
However, the much-awaited Rs 1,500 crore investment package that Prime Minister Morrison was expected to announce for India didn’t happen nor was a joint statement issued.
Australian High Commissioner to India Barry O’Farrel had on Sunday indicated that this investment package, which would have been the largest ever by Australia for India, would be announced during the summit.
Unlike PM Modi, who shared many tweets about the summit, the Australian PM didn’t share any.
Meanwhile, the early conclusion of the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) is on the cards. “The CECA between India and Australia is soon to be concluded,” said Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla.
“Trade and investment, defence and security, education and innovation, science and technology -- in all these sectors we have very close cooperation. The CECA is crucial for our economic relations, economic revival and economic security,” said Modi.
He also spoke about the good collaboration between India and Australia in Quad.
“Our cooperation reflects our commitment to a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific,” Modi added.
This was the second India-Australia virtual summit. The first took place in June 2020.
Meanwhile, 29 antiquities consisting of sculptures and paintings executed in a variety of materials are back with India. These artefacts belong to six broad categories on the themes of ‘Shiva and his disciples’, ‘Worshipping Shakti,’ ‘Lord Vishnu and his forms,’ Jain tradition, portraits and decorative objects.
Morrison talked about the growing threat of change in the Indo Pacific region in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. He said Russia needed to be held accountable.
“We are obviously distressed at the terrible situation in Europe.”
India and Australia on Monday firmed up a series of new initiatives in the areas of critical minerals, clean energy, mobility of students and tax benefits for investments in sovereign funds at a virtual summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison.
The Australian side unveiled a total investment of around Rs 1,500 crore in certain key sectors as the two sides vowed to further energise their ties including in the Indo-Pacific region.
The two strategic partners decided to set up a young defence officer exchange programme to boost military cooperation and announced the setting up of a task force to examine whether the two sides could recognise the same educational qualifications.
The exchange programme has been named after India's first Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, who was killed in a helicopter crash in December.
Underlining the importance of unlocking untapped potential in bilateral trade and investment, Modi and Morrison agreed that the two sides should attempt to conclude the proposed Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) at the earliest.
The two sides also announced establishing a mechanism of annual summits between the two countries that is aimed at creating a structural system for regular review of the relationship.
At a media briefing, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by India's Khanij Bidesh India Ltd (KABIL) and Australia's Critical Minerals Facilitation Office will facilitate establishing a framework for joint investments in Australian projects to mine critical minerals.
"This is an important area for both our countries and this agreement will give us the opportunities to both invest in Australia's critical minerals sector and get Australian expertise in this area," he said.
India has been looking at boosting cooperation with Australia in areas of critical minerals with that country having a significant source of lithium, cobalt and vanadium, considered crucial for the manufacturing of critical electronic components.
The two sides also firmed up a letter of intent to work towards a migration and mobility partnership agreement.
A separate letter of arrangement was inked for examining the educational qualifications recognition.
Another MoU was signed for cooperation and collaboration on broadcasting between Prasar Bharati and the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) of Australia.
In his opening remarks, Modi said remarkable progress has been made on CECA in a very short time.
"I am confident that the remaining issues will also be agreed upon soon. The early completion of CECA will be crucial for our economic relations, economic revival and economic security," he said.
"There is also good cooperation between us in Quad. Our cooperation reflects our commitment to a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific. Quad's success is very important for regional and global stability," Modi said.
Morrison said an "interim" CECA will help to unlock new opportunities and benefits for the countries.
"It will bring us closer to a full agreement as soon as I hope we can achieve that."
Australian High Commissioner Barry O'Farrell on Sunday said the interim or the early harvest trade pact will be inked by end of this month.
Modi said that overall ties witnessed significant progress in the last few years.
"Trade and investment, defence and security, education and innovation, science and technology -- we have very close cooperation in all these areas. Our collaboration has grown rapidly in many other areas such as critical minerals, water management, renewable energy, and Covid-19 research," he said.
A statement by the Australian government said the two countries will establish a task force to develop "qualifications recognition arrangements" for Australia and India to enhance two-way mobility.
"The task force, announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, will address the recognition of online and blended learning, joint degrees and offshore campuses," it said.
Australia's acting minister for education Stuart Robert said the task force would consult with stakeholders to identify opportunities for the recognition of Australian and Indian higher education qualifications and to make recommendations to improve arrangements based on best principles and practices in recognition.
Shringla said the two sides also agreed to increase cooperation between India's National Investment and Infrastructure Fund and Australia's Future Fund, which is a sovereign wealth fund.
"We are willing to match the tax benefits Australia gives to its sovereign and pension funds once they invest in India," he said.
In his remarks, Modi also welcomed the announcement of the establishment of the Centre of Excellence for Critical and Emerging Technology Policy in Bengaluru.
"It is imperative that we have better cooperation between us in cyber and critical and emerging technologies. It is the responsibility of countries with similar values like us to adopt appropriate global standards in these emerging technologies," he said.
Morrison on Monday expressed his understanding of India's position on the crisis in Ukraine, and he and PM Narendra Modi felt that the conflict should not be a reason for diverting attention from the Indo-Pacific, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine figured at a virtual summit between the two prime ministers.
At a media briefing, Shringla said Morrison expressed understanding of India's position on the Ukraine issue.
There was serious concern about the ongoing conflict and humanitarian situation in Ukraine and both Modi and Morrison emphasised the need for cessation of hostilities and violence in Ukraine, Shringla said.
Both sides felt that the conflict in Europe should not be a reason for us to divert attention from the Indo-Pacific region, he said.
Unlike its Quad partners -- the US, Japan and Australia -- India has not condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has been maintaining that crisis should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy.
Shringla also said that India and Australia were keen to finalise the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement as it will unlock new opportunities to expand bilateral trade and investment ties.
The foreign secretary said the two leaders exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest including shared concerns over terrorism.
Shringla said Modi also referred to the situation in eastern Ladakh and he emphasised that peace and tranquillity in the region was essential for normalisation of India's ties with China.
In his opening remarks, Morrison also referred to a recent meeting of the leaders of the Quad grouping on the Ukraine crisis and said it provided an opportunity to discuss the "implications and consequences" of the developments in Europe for the Indo-Pacific.
Delving into key aspects of India-Australia ties, Modi said the conclusion of the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) will be important for economic revival and economic security for both sides.
"We have good cooperation going on in Quad as well. This collaboration of ours reflects our commitment to free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific. The success of the Quad is critical to regional and global stability," he said.
Modi said the ties witnessed remarkable progress in the last few years and that there has been close cooperation between the two sides in trade and investment, defence and security, education and innovation, and science and technology.
"Our collaboration has grown rapidly in many other areas such as critical minerals, water management, renewable energy, and COVID-19 research," he added.
Modi said he was happy over the establishment of a mechanism of the annual summit between the two countries as it ensures a structural system for regular review of the ties.
In his remarks, Morrison referred to the "distressing" and terrible situation in Europe which he said must "never happen in our own region".
"The tragic loss of lives underlines the importance, of course, of holding Russia to account. The cooperation between like-minded liberal democracies is key to an open, inclusive, resilient and prosperous Indo-Pacific and I welcome your leadership within the Quad to keeping its focus on those important issues," Morrison said.
He said the events that are taking place in Ukraine should never occur in the Indo-Pacific.
"I very much want to thank you for the partnership that we had while we are obviously distressed at the terrible situation in Europe. Our focus, of course, is very much on what is occurring in the Indo-Pacific and ensuring that those events never occur here in the Indo-Pacific," Morrison said.
On March 3, the leaders of the Quad countries held a virtual meeting to discuss the Ukraine crisis.
Unlike its Quad partners -- the US, Japan and Australia -- India has not condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has been maintaining that the crisis should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy.
"Our region is facing increasing change and much pressure and I think the Quad leaders call recently which gave us the opportunity to discuss Russia's unlawful invasion of Ukraine, but also gave us the opportunity to discuss the implications and consequences of that terrible event for our own region in the Indo-Pacific and the coercion and the issues that we face here," Morrison said.
His comments on coercion are seen as an apparent reference towards the Chinese increasing muscle-flexing in the Indo-Pacific.
Morrison said the comprehensive strategic partnership between India and Australia reflected the ambition that both shared and hold for the relationship.
"The pace and scale of the cooperation have been remarkable," he said, adding that "our ambition is to make it even closer".
(With PTI Inputs)