'Decisions as swift as T20 match': PM Modi bats for deeper India-Australia ties

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hailed India-Australia ties using cricket analogies to describe the diplomatic partnership between the two countries. Addressing a joint press conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, PM Modi said cricket is a diplomatic language between India and Australia and compared meetings between the two countries to a game of cricket. "Today, as we are in Melbourne, the sporting capital of the world, not talking about sports would be like winning the toss in a cricket match but never starting the game. Cricket is a diplomatic language in India-Australia relations," PM Modi said. "In many ways, our meetings are like a game of cricket: our agenda is as focused as a One Day International, our decisions are as swift as a T20 match, and our partnership is as enduring and deep as a Test match," he added. During the press conference, the Prime Minister said both countries will host major sporting events in the coming years, which will strengthen sporting cooperation and create numerous opportunities for investment in sports infrastructure. "In the coming years, both our countries will host major sporting events such as the Olympic Games and the Commonwealth Games. This will not only strengthen our sporting cooperation but also create numerous opportunities for investment in sports infrastructure," PM Modi said. In a joint statement issued after the India-Australia Annual Summit, Prime Minister Modi and Albanese also condemned the terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam and Sydney's Bondi Beach. The two Prime Ministers decried terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. They emphasised the importance of all countries combating the threat of terrorism in a comprehensive and sustained manner, and called for action against globally proscribed terrorists and terror entities, including those listed by the United Nations Security Council's 1267 Sanctions Committee, as well as their proxies, affiliates, sponsors and financiers. The Prime Ministers also recognised the need to enhance cooperation to effectively counter terrorism. They committed to increasing information sharing on terrorist threats in the region and exploring opportunities for greater collaboration to counter radicalisation, including online radicalisation, violent extremism conducive to terrorism, the misuse of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes, terrorism financing, and threats to critical infrastructure and the maritime domain. They reiterated their condemnation of terrorist attacks, including the horrific attacks in Pahalgam and at Bondi Beach. PM Modi also announced that India and Australia had sealed a landmark agreement in the field of atomic cooperation, adding a strategic nuclear dimension to their rapidly accelerating partnership. The Prime Minister's ongoing visit is expected to further accelerate the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which serves as the foundational framework governing bilateral relations between the two countries. PM Modi arrived in Melbourne on Wednesday for the second leg of his three-nation tour, receiving a grand ceremonial welcome at the airport after concluding his visit to Indonesia.