|
Press Release
Joint Statement
India-Australia Foreign Ministers Framework Dialogue
(Canberra 23 June
2008)
At the Australia-India
Foreign Ministers Framework Dialogue in Canberra on 23 June, the
Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Stephen Smith, and the Indian
Minister for External Affairs, Pranab Mukherjee, underlined the strong
bonds and enduring shared interests which underpin the Australia-India
relationship. They affirmed that the two governments were committed to
taking bilateral links to a new, higher level. They noted that existing
and new forms of cooperation in a wide range of areas exemplified the
growing depth and breadth of the Australia-India partnership.
The Ministers welcomed the diversification and strengthening of
political links between Australia and India, two democracies committed
to the rule of law, pluralism and respect for human rights. They
emphasised that regular high-level political contact would continue to
underpin bilateral relations. Mr Smith said he looked forward to
visiting India in September. Mr Mukherjee welcomed the visit and said
this would provide another opportunity for continuing the dialogue.
International and regional cooperation
The Ministers had an
in-depth and wide-ranging discussion about international and regional
issues. They underlined the significant capacity for enhanced regional
cooperation between Australia and India, including in the context of the
East Asia Summit. They also confirmed the need for effective
multilateralism and more representative international institutions which
reflect the realities of the 21st century. Mr Smith reiterated
Australia’s strong support for a permanent seat for India on the United
Nations Security Council (UNSC). He also highlighted Australia’s firm
support for India’s membership of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation
grouping when the membership moratorium ends in 2010.
Mr Mukherjee welcomed Australia’s bid for a non-permanent UNSC seat for
the 2013-14 term. He noted India would follow with interest Australia’s
initiative in appointing an envoy to explore how an Asia-Pacific
Community might evolve over time to respond to emerging opportunities.
He further said India supported Australia’s application for observer
status at meetings of the South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation.
Mr Smith and Mr Mukherjee
discussed the current food security and energy security challenges
facing the world and underlined the capacity of Australia and India to
work together, including at ministerial level, to address these issues
in a mutually beneficial manner. They noted Australia’s capacity to
cooperate actively in these areas as India’s economy continues to
expand.
The Ministers reiterated their strong support for nuclear disarmament
and non-proliferation. They noted that Australia and India have stepped
up their dialogue on strategic issues. They welcomed the decision to
establish regular chief of defence force level talks. The inaugural
talks are scheduled to take place in Australia in the near future.
Recalling the recent bombings in Jaipur, Mr Smith and Mr Mukherjee
stressed that Australia and India were united in the fight against
terrorism. Looking forward to the next meeting of the bilateral Joint
Working Group on Counter-Terrorism and Immigration in New Delhi later
this year, they noted the need for practical cooperation in areas such
as intelligence, law enforcement, border security and counter-terrorist
financing and money laundering. The ministers underlined the desire of
both countries to strengthen intelligence cooperation, including on
counter-terrorism issues.
Mr Smith and Mr Mukherjee
stressed the importance of an effective and comprehensive global
response to climate change and reaffirmed the UN Framework Convention on
Climate Change. They noted the positive contribution being made by joint
Australian-Indian projects under the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean
Development and Climate, including in relation to deploying clean
technology. They announced the creation of a new bilateral water
dialogue to share ideas about the best way to handle scarce water
resources.
Political links
Mr Smith and Mr Mukherjee announced that the two countries had decided
to extend the political partnership which binds the two countries
together by establishing a new forum, the Australia-India Roundtable.
Convened by the Lowy Institute and the Indian Council for World Affairs,
the Roundtable will bring together leading individuals from both
countries every year to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing
Australia and India in the twenty-first century. Details regarding the
holding of the Roundtable are being determined.
The Ministers welcomed Australia’s decision to allocate up to $10
million under its development assistance program for targeted technical
assistance to build public sector linkages between the two countries.
Projects funded under the scheme will address pressing public policy
issues in various areas, including potentially on agriculture, climate
change, water and resource management.
The Ministers announced
the formation of a new joint working group on visas, passports and
consular issues to facilitate greater practical cooperation in these
areas. Mr Smith said the Australian Government would continue to address
concerns about the safety and well-being of Indian students in Australia
in an active way. He stressed that Australia authorities would also
continue to follow up any incidents involving Indian students quickly
and efficiently.
Legal cooperation
Legal cooperation, especially in relation to law enforcement, is another
key and expanding area of the Australia-India relationship. Mr Smith and
Mr Mukherjee signed an extradition treaty and a mutual legal assistance
treaty, underscoring the willingness of the two countries to collaborate
and address criminal matters in a practical way.
Economic links
Mr Smith and Mr Mukherjee underlined the strength of the bilateral
economic relationship, especially in the resources and energy sector,
and welcomed the positive outcomes of the 11th Joint Ministerial
Commission, co-chaired by the Australian Minister for Trade, Simon Crean,
and the Indian Minister for Commerce and Industry, Kamal Nath, in
Melbourne on 20 May. They noted that the base of the economic
relationship was expanding into new areas such as information technology
and biotechnology. They highlighted the proposal to create an
Australia-India CEOs Forum to enhance business links, ensuring that the
expanding economic relationship was underpinned by closer business links
at the highest level. They reiterated that the two governments looked
forward to receiving a report on the feasibility of a comprehensive FTA
from the joint FTA study group by the end of 2008. They welcomed the
proposal to enhance resources cooperation between the two countries by
finalising the terms of a bilateral resources strategy.
Scientific and education cooperation
Recognising that science and education constitute one of the most
dynamic parts of the Australia-India relationship, the Ministers
underlined the capacity for scientific cooperation, including via the
bilateral strategic research fund.
Australia’s and India’s premier science organisations, the Commonwealth
Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the Council
of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), will sign a Memorandum of
Understanding in July to further their scientific collaboration. This
MOU will build on the recent signing of a research partnership between
CSIRO and CSIR that focuses on research related to water, energy and
sustainable agriculture. The Ministers noted the advantages of hosting
the Square Kilometre Array, the world’s largest radio telescope, in
Australia.
Education is a cornerstone of the relationship, with more than 52,000
Indian students currently enrolled in Australian educational
institutions. Ministers noted the positive role being played by
Australia’s Endeavour Scholarship Awards in strengthening knowledge
links between the two countries.
People-to-people links
The Australia-India relationship is underpinned by diverse and expanding
people-to-people links. The Indian diaspora in Australia is making a
tangible contribution to enhancing bilateral links. Mr Smith and Mr
Mukherjee called for more youth exchanges in various fields, including
between young professionals, to build up connections and take the
Australia-India relationship forward over the coming decades. Australia
agreed to forward a proposal for sending a group of Australian Youth
Ambassadors to India in the near future.
Sport has long been a strong bond between Australia and India. Taking
our well-established cricket relationship in a new direction, ministers
welcomed the decision of the Australia India Council to fund training
programs for some of India’s rising young women cricketers. They also
acknowledged the good work of the Australian Sports Outreach Program (ASOP),
which provides funding for sports projects in disadvantaged communities.
ASOP will fund up to three projects in India over the next 12 months. |
