A stronger India-Australia partnership is good for regional stability and will lead to more trade and investment, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday while announcing a visit to New Delhi next week aimed at deepening strategic and economic ties.
Albanese will be accompanied by trade minister Don Farrell, minister for resources Madeleine King, senior officials and a high-level business delegation for the four-day visit beginning March 8. The delegation’s composition reflects Australia’s focus on building on an interim trade deal signed last year and on cooperation in supply chains for critical minerals. This will be the first visit to India by an Australian PM since 2017. Plans by Albanese’s predecessor Scott Morrison to travel to New Delhi over the past few years were derailed by domestic issues and the Covid-19 pandemic.
“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,” Albanese said ahead of the visit.
“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,” the Australian PM added.
Albanese also said in a tweet that he and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will work to strengthen security cooperation and deepen economic, sporting and educational ties. India will continue to be an important partner and close friend to Australia, Albanese said, adding he looks forward to hosting Modi in Australia mid-year for the Quad Leaders’ Summit.
India’s Khanij Bidesh India Ltd (KABIL) is close to making a “significant investment” for developing critical mineral resources in Australia that will be crucial for creating secure supply chains for the commodities, Australian envoy Barry O’Farrell said in January. Since last year, the two sides have focused on cooperation in developing Australia’s extensive reserves of rare earth such as lithium and cobalt, the key to India’s ambitious plans to develop clean technologies and electric vehicles.
Upgrading the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), signed last year, to a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement (CECA) is also expected to figure during Albanese’s visit. Albanese will begin his visit by flying into Ahmedabad on March 8, the day of Holi, and joining PM Modi at the fourth test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The Australian Prime Minister’s Office described a shared passion for cricket as a “hallmark of our long-standing friendship, a relationship that has been enriched by generations of Indian Australians”. Albanese will then visit Mumbai on March 9 for business-related engagements before travelling to New Delhi later the same day. He will be given a ceremonial welcome on the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhawan on March 10.
Modi and Albanese will hold the annual summit to discuss cooperation under the comprehensive strategic partnership and regional and global issues. They are expected to focus on trade and investment, renewable energy, technology, and defence and security cooperation. Albanese will also meet President Droupadi Murmu. The external affairs ministry noted that bilateral ties were elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership in June 2020, and it has been strengthened through frequent exchanges and enhanced cooperation across sectors. Albanese’s visit is expected to provide further momentum to the comprehensive strategic partnership, it said.
