Transcript, E&OE
7 August 2009
Joint Press Conference
Stephen Smith, Minister for Foreign Affairs; S.M. Krishna, External Affairs Minister of India
Subjects: Australia India bilateral relationship; Indian students in Australia; PM Rudd visit to India; Australia China issues; Indian students; uranium export policy.
STEPHEN SMITH: Can I officially welcome External Affairs Minister of India S.M. Krishna, to Australia, to Cairns, and to the Pacific Islands Forum Post-Forum Dialogue.
External Affairs Minister and I have met before. We spoke shortly after the Minister became India's new External Affairs Minister after the recent election. We met in the margins of the Non-Aligned Movement Conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, and we met again in the margins of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Phuket recently.
We're very pleased to see the Minister here and we're very pleased that he's taken part in the Pacific Islands Forum Post-Forum Dialogue, which dealt with development assistance, its effectiveness and its coordination in the Pacific. The Minister is making his first official visit to Australia, but he's been to Australia before, and he is the first Minister from the new, re-elected Singh Government to visit Australia and we welcome him very much.
Australia wants to take its relationship with India to the frontline of its bilateral relationships. And since we came to office, we have been and continue to work very hard to enhance our engagement with India. Today, we've spoken about all of the aspects of our bilateral relationship and also discussed some areas of interest, mutual interest and importance to our regional engagement.
So far as the bilateral relationship is concerned, the Minister very kindly invited me to visit India in October which I've accepted and I'll look very much forward to doing that. And in Delhi, in October, we will conduct, as we do, on a regular basis, the Australia-India Ministerial Framework Dialogue, and that deals with all of the aspects of our bilateral relationship.
We spoke about enhancing our engagement, moving forward on the feasibility study for the Free Trade Agreement between Australia and India, further enhanced cooperation on security and defence matters, enhancing our economic engagement, not just through a free trade agreement, but generally, and also looking at areas where we could cooperate - energy, energy efficiency, renewable energy, being one example.
Our aspiration is to see whether it's possible to have a strategic partnership between Australia and India, and our efforts as Foreign Minister and External Affairs Minister will be devoted to that ambition.
We of course spoke about the issue of Indian students in Australia. We welcome very much that we have 80,000 to 90,000 Indian students in Australia. This is actually a measure of the success of the relationship; it reflects long-standing people-to-people engagement. It also reflects the strength of the economic relationship.
India, of course, is Australia's fifth-largest trading partner. But we have seen difficulties in recent times. Firstly on security and secondly on aspects or issues of quality. And we had a good discussion about those matters, and agree that, as governments, we should continue to work very closely together.
I, of course, will let External Affairs Minister Krishna speak for himself. But I think we're both satisfied that every effort that we could make, both as an Australian Government, and as an Indian Government, working together with the Australian Government, we have made so far as the security of Indian students in Australia is concerned. Australia continues to hold itself out as a safe and secure destination for students from wherever they come. We also spoke about some of the emerging issues, some of the quality assurance issues which the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Education is moving to deal with and address.
So, Minister, we're very pleased to see you here. Thank you very much for your invitation to come to Delhi in October, which I am very happy to take up.
We, of course, are proceeding on the basis that Prime Minister Rudd himself will be able to get to India before the end of the year and we hope that comes to pass and we know that he has a standing invitation.
So can I, again, congratulate you publicly on your appointment as External Affairs Minister, congratulate the Singh Government on its re-election, and ask you to make some opening remarks.
S.M. KRISHNA: Thank you very much Foreign Minister Stephen Smith. It has been a pleasure to be here in Sydney to attend the Post-Forum Dialogue of the Pacific Island Forum.
Well, I took this opportunity of meeting with the Honourable Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, and of course the Foreign Minister, Mr Stephen Smith, on the India-Australia bilateral relationship. And we explored the ways and means as to how we can strengthen it, and then get to a new level of strategic partnership.
India, like Australia, is committed to a higher level of engagement. We look forward to continuing exchanges of visits, not only on the political part the official level, but also at the level of businessmen, cultural ambassadors and representatives, and as well as the people-to-people level. Relations between our two countries is growing strongly, in virtually every area. Trade and commerce continue to grow, rapidly, not withstanding the global economic crisis.
Bilateral trade was $15 billion in 2008, a rise of 43 per cent over 2007, making India Australia's fourth-largest export destination, and Australia's ninth- largest trading partner. We feel that our trade and economic relations can grow even faster. The mutual benefit, especially in areas such as new and renewable energy, coal mining and natural gas.
The India-Australia Strategic Research Fund has seen a number of cutting edge research collaborations in areas ranging from nanotechnology to environmental sciences.
There is growing collaboration in our areas including at the level of education. One of the issues that I discussed was the safety and well-being of our students in Australia. Given the circumstances, and what has happened in the last three months, it was important that I visit Australia, and interact with all concerned, to get a clear sense of what is happening on the ground.
Two taskforces have been set up by Prime Minister Rudd and by Deputy Prime Minister Gillard both of which our High Commission has been in close contact examining all the issues. You will be aware that there are several interconnected issues here, apart from safety issues. I am glad to say that Prime Minister Rudd and Foreign Minister Smith have both assured me that the process is well underway to look into all the issues and put measures into place to resolve them.
The Government of India is ready to work with the Australian Government in areas that need [indistinct] supervision, such as evaluating education and immigration agents in India. Both India and Australia are agreed that it is important that measures are put into place to address any legitimate grievances that our students may have. It is important that our students get a good quality education and I have no doubt that the Australian authorities will ensure this.
To sum up, I will say that the bilateral relationship is growing strong; areas where there are issues, such as the students issue, need to be dealt with in a manner that they do not come in the way of taking the relationship to the next level.
STEPHEN SMITH: Well, thanks very much, Minister. I am told the ground rules are, because people are catching planes, including myself, that it's two on either side, two Australia, two India, if we can get more in I'll do my best but I'll get a wave from officials as to when I need to leave with the Minister.
So, Australian side first.
QUESTION: Mr Krishna, can I ask you, the Rudd Government's been in power for 20 months but the Prime Minister still hasn't yet visited India, are you disappointed he hasn't made that visit? And, unrelated question to Mr Smith, will you be meeting the Uighur leader, Rebiya Kadeer?
S.M. KRISHNA: Well, we are looking forward to the Australian Prime Minister's visit to India, which, hopefully, will happen some time in the later part of the year, and we have extended an invitation to Prime Minister Rudd and he has accepted to come to India.
STEPHEN SMITH: The only point I'd add to that is that, of course, Prime Minister Rudd was scheduled to go to India either late last year or early this year. And, a matter of days before he was due to leave, Prime Minister Singh required medical treatment as a result of a heart difficulty, which caused the postponement of that trip. We would have very much liked Prime Minister Rudd to have visited India on the original timetable, but we're hopeful a visit will be effected this year. No, I am not proposing to meet Rebiya Kadeer during her visit to Australia.
QUESTION: [Inaudible question]
STEPHEN SMITH; Well, the Chinese authorities made representations to Australia that Australia should move to disturb our normal immigration procedures and refuse to allow the issuing of a visa to Ms Kadeer. My understanding is she's been here on a couple of occasions before, and the Australia Government saw no reason to disturb our usual immigration processes. Her application was processed as it was on previous occasions.
And, it was granted. I've made the point myself to Chinese authorities that just because we allow someone to come to Australia to visit doesn't mean that we agree, necessarily, with any or all of the views that that person espouses, or articulates. That's the nature of Australian society, that we allow different views to be expressed, and a view that is expressed publicly by a visitor to our country does not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian people or the Australian Government.
And one point that I have made clear is that Australia, of course, respects the territorial integrity and sovereignty of China over the western provinces. Which meets the point that I see often made in respect of Ms Kadeer, that she is regarded as, and I quote the expression, 'a separatist'. Australia respects the territorial integrity and sovereignty of China over the western provinces.
QUESTION: To both of you gentlemen, particularly Mr Krishna. Are you now confident that the education relationship that Australia and India have will continue, and do you think the level of students coming from India to Australia will stay at about the same level, or are you expecting there to be some kind of drop off?
S.M KRISHNA: I think the relationship between Australia and India have matured to that level that the small invitations which have taken place over a period of time in the last three months will not upset that equilibrium. But this visit of mine to Australia is one other indication, particularly to the students of India, that I have come here to get assurances, at the highest level at - in Australia - so that every Indian student, his welfares, is protected by Government of Australia.
And also, I met with the Premier of New South Wales, yesterday, and he has also assured me that no effort will spared to see that every foreign student, including Indian students, are taken care of, and they are protected. So that they will pursue their studies without any hindrance. And I am convinced of that assurance.
As a result of that, I am sure that, at the education level, there will be a greater flow of students from India, and the rest of Australia to India.
STEPHEN SMITH: I think it's too early to tell whether the numbers will fall or rise. What we can say with confidence is that so far as Indian students are concerned, after the United States, Australia is far and away the most attractive destination and it's a very, very good thing that we have currently 80,000 to 90,000 Indian students in Australia.
And we continue to hold ourselves out to Indian parents, Indian students, the Indian people, as an attractive destination for educational purposes.
It's quite clear that we have had some difficulties; we've moved to address those, both at the Commonwealth level, and also with our coordination with the State authorities.
And a range of measures have been taken which are on the public record, or which the Minister has referred to.
We continue to say that we are an attractive destination, and a safe and secure destination, for students from whatever location.
It's also the case, as both the Minister and I have referred to, that there have emerged in the most recent period, issues or questions of quality, and issues or questions related to so-called educational or migration agents, either in Australia or India, and together we will work through these issues.
QUESTION: Mr Krishna, were you expecting to discuss the supply of uranium, with the Australian authorities while you were here?
S.M. KRISHNA: Well, about the question of uranium, the position remains, as Foreign Minister Mr Stephen Smith annunciated it when he came to Delhi last year. But we are grateful to Australia for the support which they gave us in the Nuclear Supplier Group and the IAEA.
You will be aware that following the [indistinct] we have already initiated civil nuclear cooperation with seven other partners, including United States, Russia, France, and we are looking out for other countries with whom we could have such bilateral relationship on civil nuclear needs.
STEPHEN SMITH: I've made Australia's long-standing policy position, which is Australia doesn't export uranium to a country that's not a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Australia understands and accepts India's long-standing policy position on the NPT, and I was grateful for the warm remarks that the Minister made both in our meeting and publicly about Australia's positive role in helping to see a consensus emerge in the Nuclear Suppliers Group and the International Atomic Energy Agency, so far as India's civil nuclear industry is concerned.
I'll make this last point - and the wave I am getting from officials tells me that yours was the last question - it's the point that the Minister made in the context of students.
We think the relationship now is such that we can do two things; yes, we can take it to a higher level, to a so-called strategic partnership, and there's much more that we can do across the board, whether it's economic, whatever the area, economic, security cooperation, whatever it is. We can take it to a higher level.
But such is the strength of our relationship that whether we have an issue that we need to manage because it's a difficult issue, like students, or where we simply have a differing view of policy, these things don't get in the way of the relationship, or get in the way of us taking that relationship to a higher level. As I say, Australia's aspiration is to have our relationship, our bilateral relationship with India, at the front rank of our bilateral relationships.
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much and thank you, can I take this opportunity of thanking you all for your diligent attendance at the Pacific Islands Forum and the Post-Forum Dialogue. Some of you I look forward to seeing in Canberra, and I choose my words carefully, because I know some of you won't be going to Canberra. But all of you who are going to Canberra, I look forward to seeing you next week.
Thank you, Minister.
[ENDS]
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