Modi-Albanese Meeting Highlights Growing India-Australia Security and Energy Relations
SYDNEY — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi touched down in Melbourne on Wednesday night for a meeting with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese on Thursday, with the two leaders expected to discuss critical minerals, trade, defense, and security cooperation.
A report in the Australian Financial Review said an agreement on uranium exports to India could be finalized. Although both nations agreed a nuclear cooperation pact in 2014, exports have been limited over concerns about ensuring nuclear fuel is used solely for peaceful purposes. When asked about a possible uranium deal, Albanese told reporters: “We’ve engaged constructively, and so I look forward to there’ll be a range of announcements that we make together.”
India is Australia’s fifth-largest trading partner after China, Japan, the US, and South Korea, while around one million people in Australia claim Indian ancestry. Modi, who previously visited Australia in 2023, is expected to meet thousands of expatriate Indians at a stadium event in Melbourne on Thursday evening.
The Indian leader arrived from Indonesia, where he signed deals on agriculture and defense, including for the BrahMos cruise missile system. He will leave for New Zealand on Friday before returning to India.
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