Cairns: A concerned India on Friday took up with
Australia the spate of attacks on its nationals pursuing
studies here when External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd met to discuss the issue as well as
other areas of cooperation like nuclear energy and trade.
Krishna, the first senior leader to visit Australia to
convey India`s concerns on the student issue, met Rudd as well
as his Australian counterpart Stephen Smith on the sidelines
of Pacific Island Forum in this northern Australian city.
The External Affairs Minister said India was "deeply
concerned" about the safety and security of its students in
Australia.
"Any problem faced by them causes great concern not
only amongst the wider Indian community in Australia but also
back home in India," he told a joint press conference with
Smith after the meetings.
Krishna said his five-day visit to Australia, which began
on Wednesday, was aimed at getting reassurance at the highest
level for the students.
Turning to other issues, Krishna said India needed to
expand the use of nuclear power to meet its growing energy
requirement in a climate-friendly way.
"While we have noted Australia`s position on the issue
of the supply of uranium to India, we would be interested in
having civil nuclear cooperation with Australia as well as and
when it is ready," the Minister said.
"We are thankful for Australia`s support in IAEA and NSG.
Following the NSG waiver we have been making progress on civil
nuclear cooperation with partners such as US, France and
Russia," Krishna said.
India and Australia are also focussed on expanding
cooperation in two-way trade and investment in various sectors
especially in energy and resources, the Minister said.
"There is a significant degree of complementarity
between our two economies," he said.
"Our decision to undertake a free trade agreement
feasibility study is an indication of the great potential that
we see for growth in trade and investment between our two
countries," the Minister said.
Australian Foreign Minister Smith said that Canberra
wanted to take the relations with India to the frontline.
"We spoke all the aspects of bilateral issues during
our meeting today," said Smith, who has accepted the
invitation to visit India in October as a part of the
Australia-India Framework Dialogue.
On the student issue, Smith said Australia continues to
be a safe and secure destination for overseas students. "We
also spoke about some emerging issues including quality of
education," he added.
Krishna also said the matter was not just about the
safety, but it also related to the quality of educational
experience that many Indian students were facing.
"Unfortunately, they (the students) are facing growing
problems in educational institutions. Many of them have been
exploited and not given the education that they have been
promised in spite of paying heavy fees," Krishna said.
"There seems to be loopholes in the system that permit
exploitation of students by unscrupulous education agents" and
this "regrettably reflect unfavorably on the Australian higher
education system even though most of abuses take place in
certain training and vocational colleges," the minister said.
Asked if the Indian students` number will drop at
Australian universities in the wake of the attacks against
them, Krishna said the relationship between the two sides had
matured and such small irritants, which took place in the last
three months, would not upset it.
"I have come here to get the assurances at the highest
level so that every Indian student`s welfare is protected by
government of Australia and I am convinced of the assurances
provided by the Australian side," he said.
Krishna said that Rudd and Smith assured him that their
government would look into all the aspects of the student
issue and measures will be put in place to address it.
On a query on supply of uranium to India, Krishna said
the Australian position remained the same when Smith had
visited New Delhi last time.
"We are looking for routing it to other countries for
setting up bilateral ties on civil nuclear cooperation," he
said.
Krishna said an improved system of pre-and-post arrival
into the nation would help students and those who are already
in Australia should get what they have been promised. "Many of
them have taken heavy loans to come and study in Australia."
He said recent measures undertaken and further proposed
to be undertaken by Australia, both at the federal as well as
the state levels, to address these concerns have been useful.
It is important to ensure that the proposed measures are
followed through and result in "a qualitatively improved
experience on the ground for our students in Australia," he
said while insisting that Indian students must receive good
education and that he had no doubt Australia would ensure it.
On the bilateral ties, Krishna said the two sides have
agreed to work towards taking their relationship to the level
of strategic partnership. "Our relationship already
encompasses diverse areas that can act as building blocks for
such a partnership."
Stating that India attached importance to its ties with
Australia, Krishna noted that "our relations have grown and
expanded over recent years to cover virtually every area of
interaction."
"We are committed to further strengthening and expanding
our relations with Australia," he said, adding "we are happy
to note the priority that you (Smith) and your government have
placed on enhancing the bilateral relationship with India."
"We look forward to discussing the various bilateral
issue in detail when you visit India in October for the
Foreign Ministers Framework Dialogue," he said.
Bureau Report
