Prime Minister Narendra Modi will begin his visit to Australia on Wednesday at the invitation of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, with the trip expected to provide further momentum to the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
During his visit to Melbourne from July 8 to 10, Prime Minister Modi will hold bilateral talks with Albanese and call on Australian Governor-General Sam Mostyn.
The Prime Minister is also scheduled to participate in the India-Australia CEOs Forum and address business leaders from both countries. He will also interact with the Indian diaspora at a community event in Melbourne.
Ahead of Modi’s visit, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described India as a key economic partner and highlighted the growing strategic importance of bilateral ties.
In a statement issued by his office, Albanese said India, as the world’s fourth-largest and fastest-growing major economy, is a critical economic partner for Australia.
“I am honoured to welcome my friend Prime Minister Modi to Australia for our Annual Leaders’ Summit,” Albanese said.
“The Australia-India relationship has never been more consequential, and our partnership fosters peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. I look forward to strengthening Australia and India’s deep partnership,” he added.
Albanese said the relationship is anchored in the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and strengthened by close economic and cultural links.
“Our cooperation on trade, defence, security and technology is delivering benefits for both countries,” he said.
Meanwhile, members of the Indian community in Melbourne conducted a ‘Vedic Havan’ on Tuesday ahead of Prime Minister Modi’s arrival in Australia.
India’s High Commissioner to Australia, Nagesh Singh, said Modi’s third visit to Australia in a decade reflects the significant growth in bilateral relations over the past few years.
In an interview with IANS, Singh said evolving global circumstances have brought India and Australia closer, with both countries sharing common strategic interests and a wide-ranging partnership.
“This is a very important indicator. Prime Minister Modi coming to Australia for the third time in 10 years is a very important indicator of how the relationship between India and Australia has been growing very rapidly over the past decade,” Singh said.
He noted that the partnership was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2020 and now covers a broad range of areas, including defence and security, trade and investment, people-to-people ties, emerging technologies, clean energy, education, skilling and mobility.
The High Commissioner said cooperation between the two countries has expanded across multiple sectors, reflecting the growing depth and diversity of India-Australia engagement.
(With IANS inputs)
