India and Australia on Thursday concluded a landmark agreement to supply uranium to boost New Delhi’s nuclear energy program and agreed to deepen cooperation in defence, maritime security, critical minerals and energy as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his counterpart Anthony Albanese pledged to promote stability and rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region.
Modi and Albanese met in Melbourne on the second leg of the Indian Prime Minister’s three-nation tour and unveiled an expanded agenda to enhance cooperation and strategic coordination between the two Quad member states. Modi’s visit aims to deepen economic and security cooperation with key countries in the Indo-Pacific region against the backdrop of China’s assertive actions in the region and geopolitical turmoil on the global stage.
Following their talks, Modi and Albanese announced an arrangement that will facilitate the long-term supply of Australian uranium for India’s nuclear power industry, a new joint declaration on defense and security, a roadmap for cooperation in maritime security, joint measures to enhance energy security, and a partnership in cyber, biotechnology and supply chains.
The two sides also agreed to accelerate negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) to build on the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement, or Interim Trade Agreement, signed in 2022, and move forward with a bilateral investment treaty.
Pointing out that India and Australia are important ocean powers with a shared global vision, Modi said during a joint media interaction, “Together, we will work to promote peace, stability, freedom of navigation and rules-based order throughout the Indo-Pacific region.”
Modi said that the important agreement in the field of nuclear energy “will open the way for uranium supplies from Australia” and give new impetus to India’s goals in the field of clean energy.
“Australia and India are close partners, even closer friends,” Albanese said.
“Through new landmark agreements, we are expanding our relationship in the areas of defence, security, education, science and technology, energy security and critical minerals.”
Albanese said the administrative arrangement under the bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement that entered into force in 2015 would enable the export of uranium for peaceful purposes. “This arrangement facilitates Australian uranium exports to India to help increase the share of non-fossil fuel energy, providing an additional market for the Australian resources sector,” he said.
The leaders did not provide a time frame for exports or details on how much uranium would be supplied. Australia has the world’s largest uranium reserve – nearly a third of the global total – but has made only one shipment of uranium to India, in 2017. Exports have been halted due to concerns about uranium being diverted to a weapons program and Australia’s fragmented regulatory landscape – the federal government does not ban uranium mining, while many states do not allow large-scale mining.
Modi and Albanese said the new Joint Declaration on Defense and Security Cooperation, which renews the existing framework finalized in 2009, will strengthen cooperation and deepen practical partnership. “Australia values India as a first-class security partner and the announcement reflects our shared commitment to a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region,” Albanese said.
“We will enhance strategic coordination, increase the complexity of our defense maneuvers, and continue to build interoperability among our defense forces. We pledge to consult on defense-related developments in the Indo-Pacific region that affect our common interests,” he added.
“Through the India-Australia Defense Innovation Corridor, we will connect startups and defense industries,” Modi said. “The Maritime Security Cooperation Roadmap will give new impetus to our joint efforts in the Indo-Pacific region. We will move forward together in shipbuilding, repair and maintenance.”
The strengthening of defense ties came just two days after China tested a ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads from a nuclear submarine in the Pacific Ocean, a move Albanese described as a “provocative act.”
The Joint Declaration on Defense and Security identifies counter-terrorism, maritime domain awareness, cybersecurity, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, the common approach on UNCLOS, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Indian Ocean Rim Association as other areas of cooperation.
The two sides will also work to accelerate information exchange between their armed forces, expand the deployment of aircraft from each other’s territories, and explore opportunities for cooperation in “recruiting skilled defense manpower,” the joint declaration said.
The roadmap for maritime security cooperation will enhance cooperation in the field by enhancing information exchange, capacity development and operational coordination.
The two sides also finalized a memorandum of understanding between the Indian Coast Guard and the Australian Maritime Frontier Command on cooperation in maritime law enforcement, domain awareness and maritime border protection, and announced that an Indian military trainer will be deployed at the Australian Defense College for the period 2028-29.
Under the Joint Statement on Energy Security, the two sides will work to overcome the impact of conflict in West Asia, including disruptions to the supply of energy and other important commodities, by promoting open markets and rules-based trade. Given Australia’s role as an important supplier of LNG and India’s role as a supplier of liquid fuels and finished products, both sides will focus on enhancing energy trade.
The Partnership for Critical Cyber Technologies and Supply Chains (PACTS) will build on the 2020 Framework Arrangement to support national and regional security, enhance cooperation in making critical supply chains more resilient, and enhance cooperation in critical technologies, cybersecurity and digital resilience.
Modi said Australian technology, capital and resources could help India’s energy transition and pointed to potential collaboration on low-carbon aluminum projects.
“We have historic opportunities to cooperate in this area,” Modi said, urging Australian companies to invest long-term in road, port, railway and urban infrastructure projects in India. “India provides a safe, stable and sustainable growth option for your money,” he said.
Australia’s largest superannuation fund, AustraliaSuper, said on Thursday it would invest an additional $347 million in India’s National Investment and Infrastructure Fund.
Modi turned to cricket terminology to describe India-Australia ties, saying the bilateral agenda is as focused as one-day games, decision-making is as quick as T20 games and the partnership is “as long and deep as a Test match”.
Albanese announced that as part of expanded science and technology cooperation, Australia will operate a temporary space tracking station in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands to support India’s Gaganyaan manned spaceflight programme. Another MoU on Technology and Innovation Partnership between Australia, Canada and India will strengthen trilateral cooperation in the field of emerging technologies and innovation.
The two sides also agreed to return important artifacts and artifacts located in their respective museums. India will return the remains of an ancestor of Australian nations preserved at the Government Museum in Chennai, while Australia will return a 12th-century granite statue of the sacred bull Nandi, Shiva’s chariot, an 11th-century bronze trident, and a 12th-century six-pointed Skanda, which were previously in the collections of the National Gallery of Australia and the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
