Australia PM to visit India, bats for deeper ties

In a statement announcing the visit, Albanese said, “This will be my first visit to India as Prime Minister and I look forward to reinforcing the strong bond between our two countries.”

“Our relationship with India is strong but it can be stronger. It is underpinned by our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which underscores a joint commitment to working together to enhance our defence, economic, and technological interests,” he said

“A stronger India-Australia partnership is good for the stability of our region. It also means more opportunities and more trade and investment, strengthening our economies and directly benefiting our people,” he said.

“As we look to the future, India will continue to be an  important partner and close friend to Australia. I look forward to hosting Prime Minister Modi in Australia mid-year for the Quad Leaders’ Summit and to visiting India again in September for the G20 Leaders’ Summit,” he said.

The Ministry of External Affairs, which announced the visit simultaneously with the Australian government, said Albanese will be accompanied by Don Farrell, Minister for Trade and Tourism, Madeleine King, Minister for Resources and Northern Australia, along with senior officials and a high-level business delegation.

According to the MEA, Albanese will arrive in Ahmedabad on March 8, the day of Holi. He will also visit Mumbai on March 9, before arriving in New Delhi later in the day. On March 10, he will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

“Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Albanese will hold the Annual Summit to discuss areas of cooperation under the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, besides regional and global issues of mutual interest,” the MEA said, adding he will also call on President Droupadi Murmu.

The Australian government’s statement said the Prime Ministers will discuss trade and investment, renewable energy, technology, defence and security cooperation. “The visit will also highlight our strong educational and cultural ties,” it said.

The Australian statement said that the Prime Minister’s visit to Ahmedabad, Mumbai and New Delhi will further “deepen our strategic, economic and people-to-people ties with India, a close friend and partner to Australia”.

The business delegation will participate in the Australia-India CEO Forum in Mumbai, discussing trade and investment opportunities opened up by the recent Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement and future areas of business-to-business collaboration with their Indian counterparts, the Australian statement said.

“Prime Minister Albanese will also join Prime Minister Modi at the Fourth Test Match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Ahmedabad. A shared passion for cricket is a hallmark of our long-standing friendship, a relationship that has been enriched by generations of Indian Australians,” the Australian statement said.

The MEA said India and Australia share “warm and friendly relations based on common values and democratic principles. The Strategic Partnership between the two countries was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in June 2020 which has been strengthened and deepened through frequent high-level exchanges and enhanced cooperation across sectors. Prime Minister Albanese’s visit is expected to provide further momentum to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”.

This will be the first visit by an Australian Prime Minister to India since 2017.

Modi met Albanese for the first time on the sidelines of the Quad Leaders’ Summit on May 24, 2022 and congratulated him for his election victory. They met again during the funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo on September 27 last year.

Modi also held a bilateral meeting with Albanese on November 16 on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia.

Australia and India upgraded their bilateral relationship from Strategic Partnership in 2009 to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) in 2020. Over the years, institutional mechanisms have been put in place to promote bilateral cooperation.

The bilateral mechanisms include high-level visits, annual meetings of Prime Ministers, Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue, 2+2 Defence and Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue, Joint Trade & Commerce Ministerial Commission, Defence Policy Talks, Australia-India Education Council, Defence Services Staff Talks, Energy Dialogue, Joint Working Groups on different issues.

In June 2020, the two sides had also signed a pact for reciprocal access to military bases for logistics support. The Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA) allows the militaries of the two countries to use each other’s bases for repair and replenishment of supplies, besides scaling up overall defence cooperation.