Express News Service
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday attended the second India-Australia virtual summit. Both discussed their commitment towards strengthening bilateral trade, migration and mobility and education.
However, the much awaited Rs 1,500 crore investment package, which PM Morrison was expected to announce for India on Monday, didn’t happen. There is no clarity on why this did not happen as no joint statement was 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.
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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. CECA is crucial for our economic relations, economic revival and economic security,” said PM Modi.
PM Modi also said India and Australia were collaborating well as part of the Quad. “Our cooperation reflects our commitment to a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific,” PM Modi added.
This was the second India-Australia virtual summit. The first one was held in June 2020.
Meanwhile 29 antiquities — consisting of sculptures and paintings executed in a variety of materials — have been repatriated from Australia to India. These artefacts belong to six broad categories including the themes of ‘Shiva and his disciples,’ ‘Worshipping Shakti,’ ‘Lord Vishnu and his forms,’ Jain tradition, portraits and decorative objects.
PM Morrison talked about the threat of increasing change in the Indo-Pacific region, in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. He also said that Russia needed to be held accountable.
“We are obviously distressed at the terrible situation in Europe though our focus is very much on the Indo-Pacific,” PM Morrison said.
