India conveys concern over racial attacks, Australia assures all possible measures

New Delhi, Nov.12 (ANI): India on Thursday conveyed its concern over the racial attacks on Indian students and other members of the community in Australia and stressed upon the need to strengthen the regulatory measures for their safety and security.

"More than 80,000 students are pursuing studies in Australia. I conveyed my concerns to Prime Minister Rudd about the safety, security and well being of our students and the Indian community in Australia. The Prime Minister assured me that Australia is fully committed to ensure their safety and will take all steps necessary in this regard, including the strengthening of regulatory measures. We have decided to instituted an annual ministerial level dialogue on education between the two countries," said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the national capital during the joint press conference.

Australian Prime Minister assured his counter part Dr. Manmohan Singh that his country would do everything possible under the power of the territorial governments to ensure safety and security of Indian and other foreign students.

"In my own view, the responsibility we have in Australia is to ensure that our foreign students from India and foreign students from everywhere in the world are safe and secure and pursuing proper courses of studies. We, in Australia, have been reflecting on this, and in recent months, I know, the Deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, engaged in substantive discussions on this matter when she visited Delhi, a short time ago," said Kevin Rudd during the joint statement.

"We have combined work under way on this and, as you know, in Australia I worked with the State and the territory governments of Australia......We believe that in Australia we want to ensure that Indian students together, with all foreign students who study in Australia, should be safe, should be secure, and the governments at all levels in Australia are doing everything within their physical powers to ensure their safety and security in the future," Rudd added. (ANI)