New Delhi: Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced that he will visit India next March as the two countries plan to seal a final trade deal following an interim pact signed this April and expand strategic partnership across sectors.
Albanese announced the visit after he met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Bali on Wednesday and discussed the Australia-India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement. “It will be an important visit and upgrade in the relationship,” Albanese told reporters in Bali.
Modi and Albanese at their Bali meeting reviewed the progress made in deepening cooperation across a diverse range of sectors, including defence, trade, education, clean energy and people-to-people ties. Institutional partnership in the field of education, especially in higher education, vocational education, training and capacity building was discussed in detail.
Albanese reportedly greeted Modi as “prime minister and president” referring to the fact that Indonesia had passed on the G20 presidency baton to India.
Modi is expected to visit Australia next year for the Quad Summit. Albanese will be accompanied by a business delegation here next March. He is also expected to visit India for the G20 Summit in September.
