Albanese fetes ‘the boss’ Modi, avoids questions on rights record
Australian Prime Minister Antony Albanese and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi have pledged to take relations between their countries to “greater heights” by signing new agreements on migration and green hydrogen as Canberra looks to boost trade and diplomatic ties with New Delhi in an effort to counter China.
The signing of the trade deals on Wednesday came hours after Albanians Modi welcomed a rock star to one of Sydney’s biggest sporting arenas, dodging media questions about the Indian leader’s human rights record, including allegations of a crackdown on dissidents and the country’s Muslim minority. community.
Albanese told reporters at Sydney’s Admiralty House that he was “absolutely delighted” to welcome Modi to Australia.
He noted that the two leaders have met six times since his election as Prime Minister of Australia last year.
Australia and India are members of the Quad group of countries, which also includes Japan and the United States.
Modi is the only Quad nations leader to go ahead with his planned visit to Australia after US President Joe Biden pulled out of a planned meeting of the group in Sydney to return to Washington to focus on debt limit talks . Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who hosted a Group of Seven summit last week, also canceled his trip to Australia.
“Quad leaders stand together for an open, stable, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific region… where all countries, large and small, benefit from a regional balance that preserves peace,” Albanian told reporters after bilateral talks with Modi .
At their summit, the two leaders discussed trade, defense and renewable energy, and signed an agreement to create a hydrogen task force and expand clean energy cooperation. They also signed a deal on migration that will allow the exchange of students, researchers and business people while stepping up efforts to prevent people smuggling, Albanese said.
For his part, Modi – a nationalist leader set to be re-elected next year – praised “constructive discussions” with the Albanians, saying the pair had “talked about expanding Australia-India’s comprehensive strategic partnership to greater heights over the next decade” .
“In the language of cricket, our ties have entered T20 mode.”
They also discussed increasing cooperation in mining and critical minerals, Modi said, and are seeking to finalize negotiations on a free trade agreement before the end of the year. The Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement would expand the scope of a bilateral trade pact that entered into force last December.
Australia, whose largest trading partner is China, is trying to diversify its export markets, including through closer trade ties with India. India is Australia’s sixth largest trading partner, with two-way exchanges of goods and services worth AUD46.5 billion ($31 billion) last year.
Albanese and Modi, who is known for never addressing a press conference, took no questions.
Protests
As talks progressed, several protesters gathered in front of Admiralty House, holding placards denouncing “Modi’s crimes against the innocent” and alleged “insults and violence”, according to footage broadcast by Sky News Australia.
The dozens of protesters were outnumbered by the security personnel on site.
Ahead of his meeting with Modi, Albanese was asked if he would stand up to the Indian leader over allegations of rights abuses. But he dodged the question.
“India is the largest democracy in the world. Here in Australia, of course, people have the right to express their views peacefully and we all have different views on people in politics,” he told Channel 7.
“It is not for me to comment on India’s internal politics,” he insisted.
Modi, however, seemed to have no problem with that.
The Indian leader on Wednesday lashed out at recent “attacks” on Hindu temples in Australia – alleged vandalism by Sikh separatists – adding that Albanians had assured him of “severe action against such elements in the future”.
The night before, Albanese had organized a mass rally for Modi at Sydney Olympic Park’s Qudos Bank Arena.
To chants of “Modi! Modes! Modes!” Albanian introduced his “best friend” to a crowd of Indian-Australians and praised him for making Australia “stronger and more inclusive”.
“The last time I saw anyone on stage here was Bruce Springsteen and he wasn’t as welcomed as Prime Minister Modi,” Albanese said, referring to the popular American rock star.
“Prime Minister Modi is in charge!” he added.
According to Australian media, some 20,000 people attended the rally.
Indian-Australians are the fastest growing and second largest diaspora in the country, with 673,000 Indian-born citizens out of a population of 26 million. Nearly 90,000 Indian students are enrolled in Australian universities, the largest overseas contingent after China.
However, Modi’s warm embrace by Albanians has led to condemnation from others.
“We are deeply concerned about his visit and the way he has been welcomed without addressing the worrying issues in his own country,” Bilal Rauf, spokesman for the Australian National Imams Council, told AFP news agency.
Human Rights Watch, meanwhile, said: “The Australian government must not repeat the same mistakes it made with the Chinese government in pursuing deeper trade relations and sidelining human rights issues.”
The rights group said under Modi “the world’s greatest democracy” has become much less free and more dangerous, with dozens of journalists, activists and opposition leaders imprisoned and violence against Muslim and Christian minority communities “effectively normalized”.
“The use of ‘silent diplomacy’ has had no apparent impact on the human rights situation,” said Elaine Pearson, HRW’s Asia director. It “has led to a growing sense that Australia is willing to overlook the plight of India’s affected communities in order to win India over as an ally against China and Russia”.