Refusing to budge from its policy, Australia on Wednesday rejected India’s request for the sale of uranium.
“Regarding the export of uranium to India, the policy of the Australian government is clear — we will only supply uranium to countries that are signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and have signed a bilateral agreement with Australia,” Australia’s resource, energy and tourism minister Martin Ferguson said after his meeting with visiting external affairs minister S.M. Krishna.
“This is not a policy specific to India, it applies equally to all countries,” Mr Ferguson, who discussed with Mr Krishna a range of energy sector issues, was quoted as saying.
During the meeting, Mr Krishna, who is here on a three-day visit, renewed India’s long-standing request for buying the Australian uranium.
He urged the Australian government to reverse its policy of not selling uranium to India.
The external affairs minister said after his meeting with Mr Ferguson that the talks were by and large in the context of India-Australia relationship, with particular reference to the energy aspects.
“With a kind of growth that we have been seeing in India in the last few years, our energy requirements are increasing by the day, as a result of which now we have various possibilities of collaborating with those countries which have uranium, coal and other facilities,” Mr Krishna said.
“So we discussed the entire gamut of the energy requirement of India and what Australia can do in term of helping us out,” said Mr Krishna, who was accompanied by Indian high commissioner Sujata Singh and secretary (East) Vijay Latha Reddy.
Australian high commissioner to India Peter Varghese was also present during the meeting.
During the meeting, Australia conveyed its willingness for Indian companies to invest in its coal and energy sector, apart from assuring additional supply of coal to India, Indian officials said.
Australia also expressed its interest in funding infrastructure projects in India, they said.
Australian foreign minister Kevin Rudd, who will meet Mr Krishna on Thursday for the seventh ministerial Framework Dialogue, said that Australia’s relationship with India was one of its most important.
“India is the world’s largest democracy and a major power,” he said, adding “this annual minister-level dialogue is testament to the strength of the bilateral political and economic relationship.”
—PTI