Modi and Albanese Sign 18 Pacts Including Uranium Deal

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese concluded the third Australia-India Annual Leaders' Summit in Melbourne on July 9, 2026. The summit produced 18 major outcomes to expand the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, most notably the operationalization of a civil nuclear energy agreement. This landmark deal enables the commercial export of Australian uranium to India for peaceful purposes under IAEA safeguards, supporting India's goal of 100 gigawatts of nuclear capacity by 2047.

Beyond energy, the leaders signed a Joint Declaration on Defence and Security Cooperation and a Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap to enhance interoperability and intelligence sharing in the Indo-Pacific. They also launched the Partnership on Cyber, Critical Technologies and Supply Chains (PACTS) and established a Critical Mineral Corridor for lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements. Educational ties expanded with approved campuses for Flinders University in Bengaluru and Victoria University in Gurugram.

Economic cooperation was furthered by an additional A$500 million investment from AustralianSuper into India's National Investment and Infrastructure Fund. In a cultural exchange, Australia returned three ancient temple artifacts to India, while India repatriated the remains of an Australian First Nations ancestor.

Despite the diplomatic success, the visit faced protests in Melbourne over human rights concerns and criticism from some Australian politicians regarding the hypocrisy of exporting uranium while banning domestic nuclear power. Geopolitically, the summit occurred amid tensions following a Chinese submarine-launched ballistic missile test in the South Pacific, which both leaders described as destabilizing.