Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that he wants India and Australia to push to realise the “true potential” of closer defence and security ties.
PM Modi arrived in Sydney on Monday for the third and final leg of his three-nation tour during which he will hold talks with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese. He will also attend a community event to celebrate the country’s Indian diaspora.
In an exclusive interview with The Australian, the PM said, “ The high degree of mutual trust between us has naturally translated into greater cooperation on defence and security matters.”
He refrained from delving into Australia’s decision to acquire nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS pact.
“This is entirely Australia’s decision. They have briefed us about their assessment,” PM Modi said.
The Prime Minister also denied that relations between the two countries would be harmed by India’s refusal to criticise Russia over the invasion of Ukraine. Russia is a major supplier of military equipment to India.
Australia has been highly critical of Russia and has also supplied military equipment to Ukraine.
“An advantage of being good friends is that we can discuss freely and appreciate each other’s viewpoint,” PM Modi said in the interview.
PM Modi arrived in Australia from Papua New Guinea, where he held talks with his counterpart James Marape and took stock of their bilateral relations. He also discussed ways to boost cooperation in areas like commerce, technology, healthcare, and climate change.
The PM began his three-nation tour on Friday from Japan where he attended three sessions at the G7 summit following an invitation by Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida.
PM Modi along with US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida and Australia’s Anthony Albanese also attended the third in-person Quad Summit in Hiroshima.
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