Hyderabad: Accompanied by his delegation, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will visit India in March to enhance economic ties -- a meeting set-up after Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended an invitation for the fourth Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy to be held in his home state of Gujarat.
The visit is seen as Australia's push to improve trade and bilateral ties between the two nations following the implementation of the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA). A delegation will escort Albanese to discuss trade ties with the Indian counterparts.
The Australian PM had earlier tweeted the news about his trip to India, where he underscored his commitment to improving trade between the two nations. “Today the Aus-India Trade Agreement comes into force. This will deliver new opportunities to Australian businesses. At the invitation of @narendramodi I will visit India in March with a business delegation committed to improving two-way trade between our two nations,” he had said. "I'll be there (India) with Narendra Modi who’s invited us to the fourth test in his home state of Gujarat," Albanese said.
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During his address to the Australian and South African side at the New Year's Day reception at Kirribilli House, Albanese had confirmed his visit and talked about Modi's invitation to the fourth test match of the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Gujarat.
"I'll be there (India) with Narendra Modi who’s invited us to the fourth test in his home state of Gujarat. We'll be taking our Australian business delegation over as well about how we can expand the economic opportunities for Australia in India. That is one of the things about cricket is that it brings people together across different cultures, across different societies, and it helps to build global harmony. That is so important as well, and I'm looking forward to that,” he added.
Confirming the visit, Gurnam Singh, the founder of the Australian Indian Sports Educational and Cultural Society (AISECS) had said that the Aussie PM is scheduled to visit India to discuss bilateral trade ties where he will meet the Indian PM during the match.
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"The presence of Mr Albanese in India to watch the cricket game with Mr Modi will be a very special moment. It will demonstrate the friendship and trusted partnership between the two leaders," Singh said. Elaborating on the same, he added, "Cricket brings people together and this time it will bring two leaders and governments together. However, it needs to go beyond that and the ECTA's implementation needs to be tapped by both sides."
India will take on Australia on March 9 in the fourth Test match of the Border Gavaskar Series.
