Subjects: Military Guard; Visit to India; Fiji.
E&OE ……………………………………………………………………………………
PRIME MINISTER:
I am very proud of them and all Australia should be very proud of them. They’ve come, they’ve represented their country with a lot of quiet, uncomplicated pride. And no matter what you do abroad for your country, whether it’s in the armed forces, as a sportsman or woman, or as an artist, if you do it with a sense of pride in being an Australian we can all identify with that. And that’s what these young men and women have done.
JOURNALIST:
Are you proud of how the week has gone here ?
PRIME MINISTER:
I think it’s been a fantastic week. It’s been an opportunity to observe history, it’s been a week of hardheaded economic opportunity and I think it’s been highly successful. And I don’t think those who participated in it will forget it and I think it has been a two-way traffic. It’s an opportunity for us to mark the good aspects of our relationship with Britain, it’s also been an opportunity for the British to understand the enormous contribution that Australia has made to that relationship, to the defence of liberty on many occasions.
JOURNALIST:
And looking forward Prime Minister, is India more than just a visit, a goodwill visit? Do you expect . . . .
PRIME MINISTER:
There is nothing, there is nothing formal or tokenistic about my visit to India. We have not had a head of government exchange with India since 1989. The relationship needs more vigour and energy injected into it. It’s been to some extent a relationship that’s been taken for granted. We’ve assumed that because of some historical associations and the common membership of the Commonwealth and so forth that it will be alright. Now I think we have to work a lot harder. And India is a coming economic power, it has very high technological capability. We do have quite a lot in common and I think we can do a lot more to develop the commercial relationship and it’s a good opportunity for me to discuss that with the Prime Minister and the various members of his ministry.
JOURNALIST:
Will you discuss Fiji Prime Minister with him?
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh, I am sure it will come up because of the natural interest of the Indian government in the position of Fijians of Indian heritage in that country. Of course they’re people who left, whose ancestors left India, a long time ago. But they are naturally interested in the Indian diaspora in different parts of the world and of course the subject will come up and Fiji remains a very difficult issue. We are not happy with the racially based focus which has been taken. The Indians of Fiji are as entitled as the Fijians of Fiji to a proper place in the sun and politically they’re not being given that and that remains a matter of real concern.
Thanks.
[Ends]