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Australian High Commissioner to India, Philip Green, on Wednesday expressed concern over the ongoing disruption in the West Asia region and said both India and Australia want the Strait of Hormuz to reopen at the earliest, stressing that the waterway is vital for global energy supplies and economic activity.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the IC3 event in Mumbai, Green said that while the two countries remain concerned about the situation in West Asia, India and Australia are simultaneously working to strengthen their own energy partnership. "We are troubled by ongoing disruption in the Middle East and all of us want to have the Strait of Hormuz opened as soon as possible. That's vitally important for ordinary citizens of India and Australia and many other countries to make sure that there are supplies of fuel at a decent cost that don't impede our economy's activity," Green told the reporters. He added, "We have concerns about what's going on in the Middle East. We want it over as quickly as we can so we can get back to normal," he said. The Australian envoy underlined that in the face of current geopolitical challenges, the India-Australia energy partnership would continue to provide an avenue for cooperation. He said that India and Australia have been developing an energy security partnership, recalling the announcements made during the recent visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Australia earlier in July this year. "In the meantime though, Australia and India are working on their own energy partnership. And one of the things that the Prime Minister announced when they were there is an energy security partnership between Australia and India," the envoy said. Noting that Australia has traditionally been a reliable supplier of coal and LNG to India, he said that the two allies have also opened avenues for uranium supplies. "Australia has for the longest time been a reliable supplier of coal of LNG, and we opened a new window to open uranium sales from Australia to India. India is a good supplier of refined fuels to Australia," he added. Green emphasised that unlike some other supply routes affected by geopolitical tensions, energy supplies between India and Australia do not face a similar strategic chokepoint. "There is no geo-strategic choke point between Australia and India, so those supplies of energy can go through without that sort of problem," he said. He also hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Australia, terming it a "really super visit" and recalled the warm reception PM Modi received from the Indian diaspora in Melbourne. "I was delighted to accompany the Prime Minister. It was a really super visit, and of course he was very warmly welcomed by 30,000 or so people of Indian origin at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne," Green said. He said the visit also resulted in several initiatives aimed at expanding bilateral cooperation across defence, maritime security, strategic technology, sports, culture and education. "We laid down some really important new tracks for our bilateral relationship. A new defence and security partnership, a roadmap on maritime domain awareness, a new sports playbook, a new agreement on strategic tech, and new investments by big Australian corporates here in India," he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Anthony Albanese, during their meeting in July this year, emphasised the increasing importance of energy security and resource collaboration for the two economies, the Joint Statement observed. His remarks come as the leaders had reaffirmed their commitment to deepening cooperation to support reliable, affordable and sustainable energy supply, strengthening energy security and supporting long-term economic prosperity. (ANI)
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