Australian PM to arrive in India next week; Japanese PM plans 3-day visit to New Delhi

The Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will make his maiden visit to India from March 8 to 11 along with several other senior ministers from his administration, said the Ministry of External Affairs, in a statement, on Saturday (March 4). Meanwhile, a government source told Nikkei Asia that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is also planning a three-day visit to New Delhi and hold talks with his Indian counterpart PM Narendra Modi, starting on March 19.

The MEA, in a statement, said, that the Australian PM will arrive on March 8 at the invitation of his Indian counterpart along with the Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell, Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Madeleine King as well as senior officials and a high-level business delegation.​

It added that this will be Prime Minister Albanese’s first visit to India since he took office and he is scheduled to arrive in the Indian city of Ahmedabad on March 8, the day of Holi festival. The next day, he will visit the financial capital, Mumbai before arriving in Delhi on the same day.

In the national capital, the Australian PM will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan on March 10, said the MEA. The leaders from the two countries will also hold an annual summit to discuss the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, in line with which they will talk about areas of cooperation.

During his visit, Albanese will also meet the Indian President Droupadi Murmu. “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,” said the MEA.

The Australian PM also took to Twitter and said, “I look forward to travelling to India next week at the invitation of Prime Minister @narendramodi. We will work to strengthen our security cooperation and deepen our economic, sporting and educational ties.”

Japanese PM to visit India from March 19: Report

A report by Nikkei Asia citing a government source, on Friday (March 3) said that Japanese PM Fumio Kishida is planning to visit New Delhi. This also comes as the country also holds the Group of Seven (G7) nations’ presidency this year while India is also the chair of the Group of 20 economies in 2023.

Japan did not send its Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi to the meeting for the G20 top diplomats which was held in India last Thursday.

Reports suggest that the absence has since triggered a backlash and cast a shadow over the relations between the two countries. Nikkei Asia also claims that Kishida who might visit India on March 19 for three days will talk to Modi about issues stemming from the Russian invasion of Ukraine as this year’s G7 and G20 presidents.

(With inputs from agencies)

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