Chris Evans, Australian Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, reported that Australia will not change its policy of exporting uranium to India unless it signs the treaty.
“The government policy in relation to export of uranium is that we export it to signatories of NPT only. It is not a question of a decision about India or any other country,” Evans said.
Explaining his Government’s stand, Evans reported that exporting uranium to other countries has been a serious issue in Australia’s politics.
Evans said, “Probably inside India, there is not a large understanding of how controversial the issue of uranium export has been in Australia’s politics. It is been something which dominated debates in Labour party for a long time.”
Australia had keenly supported the lifting of embargo on civil nuclear trade with India in 2008 meeting of Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
According to Evans, the relations between the two countries have been developing at a rapid pace.
“When we look across the breadth and depth of the relationship between our countries, we see very strong and expanding people-to-people, governmental and economic links,” Evans said.
According to Evans, the agreement signed between the India and Australia in 2008 was to take the relationship to the level of a strategic partnership reflected their common view of the significance of relationship and its potential for strengthening in the future.
