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PM Modi’s address to Australian Parliament

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A full transcript of Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing a joint sitting of Australian parliament in Canberra

I would like to begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of this land on which we stand today and pay my respects to the elders past and present. The honourable PM, the honourable Speaker of the House of Representatives, the honourable the President of the Senate, the honourable Leader of the Opposition, honourable members and senators, ladies and gentlemen, thank you Mr PM, my friend Tony Abbott, congratulations to you and the people of Australia on a successful G20.

APPLAUSE

And the third head of the Government, you are listening to this week. I do not know how you are doing this. Maybe this is PM Abbott’s way of shirtfronting you. APPLAUSE I am truly honoured and humbled by this opportunity to speak to you. I stand here as one of you. A representative of the people. I came to you with the greeting of 1.25 billion people of a nation. That are linked to Australia by the great Indian Ocean, by a connected history and of many shared inheritance and even more by a deeply inter linked destiny. And today – the spirit … that is heard by many starting stories of human success and sacrifice. This morning, PM and I honoured our soldiers who 100 years ago made the supreme sacrifice together in the battle of Gallipoli. The man who designed this beautiful capital of Canberra, Walter Burley-Griffin, lies buried in the old city in India.

APPLAUSE

More than 150 years ago an Australian novelist, a lawyer, John lang, fought the legal battle for a brave Indian … fighter, against the British in India’s first war of independence. He also lies buried in India. The statue of Gandhi in Canberra is a symbol of our shared values. We celebrate the legion of Bradman and the class of Tendulkar together. We are embraced by Australian speed

… Until Shane Warne came along. Above all, we are united by the ideals of democracy. Today, as I stand in this temple of democracy, I consider … nations tos placed because democracy offers the best opportunity for the human spirit to flourish. APPLAUSE Because we have the freedom to choose, the power to speak and the right to remove and for us in politics, with no option but to live with this grace. … Generations, representatives, one of the great nations of the world today Australia. To the abundance of resources, nature has been generous to you. But it is the people of Australia who have made Australia what it is today.

APPLAUSE

A beacon of democracy and rule of law. A nation that leads the search of lost aircraft, one of the most prosperous nations in the world. Among the best in human development index, I nation with some of the best cities in the world, some of the most wonderful minds and advanced technology base and a nation with great sporting skills. Not just immense beauty, Australia, but also of a great quality of life. Today, its cities are alive with the richness of the world’s diversity and it is home to 450,000 Indians who are as proud to be part of Australia as they are of their Indian heritage.

Honourable members, there was a time when many of us, Australia was a distant land on the southern edge of the world. Today, the world sees Australia to be at the heart of the Asia Pacific  and intan ocean region. – Indian. It holds the key to this world’s future and Australia is at a cross roads. Australia has become more  engaged in this part of the world. We welcome it. Growing role in driving this region’s prosperity and saving its security. Because we in India seek the same future for this world. We also see Australia as a vital partner in India’s quest for progress and prosperity.

There are few countries in the world where we see so much synergy as we do in Australia. India, a nation of more than a billion seeking development. Australia a developed country of a few million people and vast resources. Since the turn of this century, India had been the second fastest growing economy in the world…

APPLAUSE

Millions have lifted themselves out of poverty into new life of possibilities. Today, we have a Government with a clear  maturity after 30 years. – a clear majority. From the remote villages to the bigger cities, there is new hope in India. In new energy. It is the energy of our youth. The 800 million people below the age of 35, eager for change, willing to work for it because now they believe that it is possible. They can make it  happen, it is this transformation that will unleash, in this six months that we have been in office, we have moved forward thinking, with ambition and thinking with speed. Seeking growth, not just for growth, but to transform the quality of life of every Indian.

I see Australia as a major partner in every area of our national priority, providing skills and education to our youth. Every household, the most affordable health  care, infrastructure that doesn’t affect our environment. Energy that does not cause our glaciers to melt. Clean coal and gas, renewable energy, a fuel for nuclear power. Cities that are more sustainable and liveable. Villages that offer opportunities. Agriculture that  is more and farms that are besht connected to markets. Practices and technology that save water – better. We have a new mission for turning India into a global name, not just in India but we want to find new pathways to prosperity, not simply driving down the roads of the previous century.

Much of India’s future cities and infrastructure each yet to be built and so we have eye unique opportunity to make our choices now. In every sector, agriculture, food processing, mining, infrastructure, finance and technology, energy, from providing funds and resources  to technology and working as partners and investors, Australia has immense opportunities participate in India’s progress. In turn, India will be the answer to  your search for new economic opportunities. And your desires to diversify your global economic engagement. Your source for world class – at home or manufacturing abroad, India’s development, demographic and demand provide a unique long term opportunity for Australia and all in the framework of democracy. There is no other example of this nature in the world. Indans are coming here in growing numbers and commitment. Honourable members, this is an age, region promises but also it is filled with challenges. We can only pursue our dreams if we have the confidence that our cities are safe.

Our nations are secure, our region is stable and our world is peaceful. This vast region and many unsettled questions and  new challenges, historical differences persist just by going but we worry about access and security in your part of the world more than ever before. Our region has seen huge progress on the foundation of peace and stability but we can not take this for granted. Preserving it will be the most important task in the region. India and Australia can play their part in it by expanding our security cooperation and depending on international partnerships in the region. But we do not have to rely on borrowed architecture of the past, nor do we have the luxury to choose who we work with and who we do not, but what we do need is to work together and  with others to create an environment and culture. That promotes the currency of coexistence and cooperation in which all nations, small and big, abide by international law and norms. Even when they have bitter disputes, we should maintain maritime security, we should work together on the seas and collaborate in international forums and we should work for awe universal respect for international law and global norms.

We must also support the process of economic integration in the region. An open global trading system that remains integrated. We must guard against regional trading issues becoming instrument of political competition. however, economic integration by itself would not be a strong basis for peace and stability. Without strong regional institutions, India and Australia are members of several institutions that are critical of for the region and for the world. We should connect more closely in east Asia. Summit, G20 and the Indian ocean region association, honourable members in our interconnected world, our shared challenges extend beyond our region.

Terrorism has become a major threat for us all. In India we have seen its threat closely for three decades and we see it with the clarity that comes with it. Terrorism, an expanding in its reach, India has made the commitment and a call to end the violence. It frees up money laundering, drug trafficking and arms smuggling. We have to deepen our bilateral security cooperation but we need a comprehensive global strategy for a global problem. It will require global security cooperation but even more, a policy of no distinction between terrorist groups of discrimination between nations. It is all hard work, bringing … this to states that will fight … them. In countries where it is most prevalent, every effort to deal with religion and terrorism. As I look to the future, we will also need to ensure that outer space and cyber space remain instruments of connectivity and prosperity, not new frontiers of conflict. Responding to the region’s disasters, combatting proliferation, acting against piracy, we work together on a fuel range of security challenges.

Honourable members, since my Government entered office, no region has seen more intense agreement on Asia’s part than the Asia Pacific region. We understand how deeply our future is linked to this region. India and Australia can play cricket hard with each other and I suspect we will next month. We see Australia as one of our foremost partners in the region. I was pleased to host PM Tony Abbott as my first state guest in September.

APPLAUSE

It has taken a PM of India 28 years to come to Australia. It should never have been so long. This will change. Australia will not be on the outer of the region but at the centre of our talks. So we stand together at the moment with enormous opportunity and great responsibility. I see a great future of prosperity, a partnership between India and Australia and a shared  commitment. PM Abbott started us on this new journey in September. With your help and with the help of the great people of India and Australia, I wish you the best for hosting great and successful world cricket next year. Thank you all.

 

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