AGENCY
CANBERRA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said Australia will not be at the periphery of India’s vision but at the centre of its thought, as he called for closer bilateral security cooperation and a comprehensive global strategy to tackle the menace of terrorism.
Modi, while addressing the Australian Parliament, the first Indian Prime Minister to do so, said, “It has taken a Prime Minister of India 28 years to come to Australia. It should never have been so. And, this will change. Australia will not be at the periphery of our vision, but at the centre of our thought.”
Modi addressed the Parliament after holding bilateral talks with Prime Minister Tony Abbott following which the two countries signed five pacts on social security, transfer of sentenced prisoners, combating narcotics trade, tourism, and Arts and Culture.
During the talks, the two sides sought an early conclusion of negotiations for a comprehensive economic partnership agreement and a closure on the civil nuclear deal.
Addressing the Parliament, Modi said terrorism has become a major threat.
“In India, we have seen its face closely for three decades. And, we see it with the clarity that comes with it. Terrorism is changing in character and expanding in its reach,” Modi said.
“Internet has made recruitment and call to violence self-generated. It also feeds off money laundering, drug trafficking and arms smuggling. We have to deepen our bilateral security cooperation. But, we need a comprehensive global strategy for a global problem,” he said.
In order to tackle the new security challenges, Modi sought closer security cooperation, a policy of no distinction between terrorist groups or discrimination between nations, a resolve to isolate those who harbour terrorists, willingness to empower states that will fight them, a social movement against extremism in countries where it is most prevalent and every effort to delink religion and terrorism.
“India sees Australia as one of our foremost partners in the region. There are few countries in the world where we see so much synergy as we do in Australia,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister also called for support for the process of economic integration across the region and an open global trading system that remains integrated.
“We must guard against regional trade initiatives becoming instruments of political competition. However, economic integration by itself won’t be a strong basis for peace and stability, without strong regional institutions,” Modi said.
Modi also called for collaboration in the field of maritime security.
“We should collaborate more on maintaining maritime security. We should work together on the seas and collaborate in international forums. And, we should work for a universal respect for international law and global norms,” he said. Modi said countries needed to ensure that outer space and cyber space remain instruments of connectivity and prosperity, not new frontiers of conflict. More importantly, he said, both the countries can work together to deal with piracy and range of other issues related to security.
“The oceans are our lifelines. But, we worry about its access and security in our part of the world more than ever before,” he said.
“Responding to the region’s disasters, combating proliferation, acting against piracy, we can work together on a full range of security challenges,” the Prime Minister said.
He said the two countries need not have to rely on borrowed architecture of the past nor did the two have the luxury to “choose who we work with and who we don’t.” “But, what we do need is to work together and with others to create environment and culture that promotes the currency of co-existence and cooperation; in which all nations, small and big, abide by international law and norms, even when they have bitter disputes.
“India and Australia are members of several institutions that are critical for this region and the world. We should coordinate more closely in East Asia Summit, G20 and the Indian Ocean Region Association,” Modi said.
Modi said, India’s development and growth provides a long term opportunity for Australia and it has immense opportunities in the field of agriculture, food processing, mining, infrastructure, finance, technology and energy.
He said both the nations had common love for cricket and are set to battle it out on the cricket field next month. “We celebrate the legend of Bradman and the class of Tendulkar together. We are impressed by Australian speed as you are charmed by the Indian spin, until of course Shane Warne came along!” the Prime Minister said amidst laughter in the Parliament. Speaking about his clear cut majority government in 30 years, the Prime Minister said there was a new “high tide” of hope and energy in India. PTI
