India eagerly awaits arrival of Australian PM Anthony Albanese: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said India eagerly awaits the arrival of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. PM Modi said he looks forward to productive deliberations to further India-Australia bilateral relations.

"India eagerly awaits your arrival! Looking forward to productive deliberations to further the India-Australia friendship. @AlboMP," PM Modi tweeted on Wednesday.

Albanese will pay an official visit to India from March 8-11.

The Australian PM emplaned for India on Wednesday at the invitation of his Indian counterpart.

Taking to Twitter, Albanese said that this trip demonstrates the commitment to deepen the links between the two countries, and to being a force for stability and growth in our region.

Albanese on Wednesday tweeted, "Today I'm bringing a delegation of ministers and business leaders to India. Australia and India have a rich friendship, underpinned by our common interests, our shared democratic values, the bonds between our people, and an affectionate but fierce sporting rivalry."

"At the kind invitation of Prime Minister @narendramodi, we will be visiting Ahmedabad, Mumbai and New Delhi. Trade with India presents Australian businesses and workers with tremendous opportunities for growth," he added.

The Australian PM further stated that Australia has a historic opportunity to strengthen its relationship with India. He also assured India that Australia is a better place because of its large, diverse Indian-Australian community.

On the second day of his visit, Albanese, along with PM Modi will watch day 1 of the final Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Ahmedabad.

According to an official release, the first in-person India-Australia Annual Summit will take place during Albanese's visit.

At the Annual Summit, leaders take stock of progress made on various initiatives under the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The summit lays the way forward on new initiatives and enhanced cooperation in a diverse range of sectors between India and Australia. The Summit was first held virtually on June 4, 2020, the release said.

The visit comes after a series of high-level engagements and an exchange of ministerial visits between the two sides in 2022 and in 2023. The last visit by an Australian PM (Malcolm Turnbull) to India was in 2017.