Prime Minister Narendra Modi will watch the fourth Test match of the ongoing India-Australia men's Test series with Australian PM Anthony Albanese next week.
Albanese will arrive in India on March 8 for a three-day visit ending on March 11. Besides official engagements, he will watch the India-Australia match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Gujarat's Ahmedabad.
"Prime Minister Albanese will also join Prime Minister Modi at the Fourth Test Match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Ahmedabad. A shared passion for cricket is a hallmark of our long-standing friendship, a relationship that has been enriched by generations of Indian Australians," said the Australian government in a statement released on Saturday.
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The fourth Test will start on March 9 and Modi and Albanese will watch the first day of the five-day match, according to The Times of India.
"Sources said this will be the first time PM Modi will watch a match at the stadium, named after him," reported ToI, adding that elaborate security arrangements are being made for it.
Besides Ahmedabad, Albanese will visit Mumbai and New Delhi to hold discussions with Modi and industry leaders. In the statement, the Australian government will visit "will further deepen our strategic, economic and people to people ties with India, a close friend and partner to Australia".
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Modi and Albanese will discuss trade and investment, renewable energy, technology, defence and security cooperation, said the statement, adding that the visit will also highlight strong educational and cultural ties.
A business delegation will also accompany Albanese that will take part in a business events.
"The business delegation will participate in the Australia-India CEO Forum in Mumbai, discussing trade and investment opportunities opened up by the recent Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement and future areas of business to business collaboration with their Indian counterparts," said the statement.
Albanese also said that the India-Australia relationship is "good for the stability of our region".
He said, "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. 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."
This will be Albanese's first visit to India as the Prime Minister of Australia. India and Australia are members of the Quad along side the United States and Japan and the leaders of the two countries therefore meet at multilateral events as well. Albanese and Modi will meet later this year in Australia mid-year for the Quad Leaders Summit and in India in September when India will host the G20 Leaders’ Summit.
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(With PTI inputs)
