Australian Prime Minister visits India, third in five years
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has arrived quietly in New Delhi on a four-day state visit, signalling the growing bilateral relationship between India and our Trans-Tasman neighbour.
"Welcoming a valued friend and partner. PM @TurnbullMalcolm arrives in New Delhi on his State Visit to India," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay tweeted.
Modi will hold a bilateral summit with Turnbull on Monday following which a number of agreements are expected to be signed.
Mr Turnbull, who is on his maiden visit to India after assuming office in September 2015, arrived in New Delhi on Sunday, April 9. Earlier, his predecessor, Tony Abbott had visited India in September 2014.
The visiting Prime Minister was received by Union Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy at the airport.
The two PMs are expected to reiterate their commitment to an early conclusion of a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) between their two countries.
However, officials on both sides have warned of any premature excitement about the signing of a “deal” between the two countries with officials saying that both sides continue to have concerns that are yet to be addressed.
Meanwhile, both nations are targeting on security and defence relations and boosting cooperation in education and skill development.
Prime Minister Turnbull has taken the Minister for Education and Training, Simon Birmingham along with one of the largest Australian delegations of skills providers and higher education representatives to India.
Also, with Australia’s Civil Nuclear Transfers to India Act becoming effective in December last year, both sides are engaged in commercial negotiations for the sale of uranium to India.
Mr Turnbull is visiting India on a personal invitation from the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had invited him last year during the G-20 Summit in China. It is expected that Mr Turnbull will be holding talks on a range of issues with his Indian counterpart.
The relationship between India and Australia had quietly witnessed an upward swing in the last decade with almost five mutual Prime Ministerial visits taking place in the span of last five years. The current visit of Mr Turnbull is the eighth visit by an Australian Prime Minister in the last two decades.
While Australia had always taken the lead in identifying the growing geopolitical importance of India as represented in their successive Prime Ministerial visits to the South Asian giant, Indian political leadership has been slow in according the same status to Australia as it provides to many of its traditional allies in the international politics.
However, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has amended this traditional reluctance associated with Indian political establishment and visited Australia in November 2014, within six months of becoming the country’s Prime Minister.
The visit had then enthralled growing Indian diaspora in Australia and strengthened people to people relationship between both the countries.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has arrived quietly in New Delhi on a four-day state visit, signalling the growing bilateral relationship between India and our Trans-Tasman neighbour.
"Welcoming a valued friend and partner. PM @TurnbullMalcolm arrives in New Delhi on his State Visit to...
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has arrived quietly in New Delhi on a four-day state visit, signalling the growing bilateral relationship between India and our Trans-Tasman neighbour.
"Welcoming a valued friend and partner. PM @TurnbullMalcolm arrives in New Delhi on his State Visit to India," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay tweeted.
Modi will hold a bilateral summit with Turnbull on Monday following which a number of agreements are expected to be signed.
Mr Turnbull, who is on his maiden visit to India after assuming office in September 2015, arrived in New Delhi on Sunday, April 9. Earlier, his predecessor, Tony Abbott had visited India in September 2014.
The visiting Prime Minister was received by Union Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy at the airport.
The two PMs are expected to reiterate their commitment to an early conclusion of a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) between their two countries.
However, officials on both sides have warned of any premature excitement about the signing of a “deal” between the two countries with officials saying that both sides continue to have concerns that are yet to be addressed.
Meanwhile, both nations are targeting on security and defence relations and boosting cooperation in education and skill development.
Prime Minister Turnbull has taken the Minister for Education and Training, Simon Birmingham along with one of the largest Australian delegations of skills providers and higher education representatives to India.
Also, with Australia’s Civil Nuclear Transfers to India Act becoming effective in December last year, both sides are engaged in commercial negotiations for the sale of uranium to India.
Mr Turnbull is visiting India on a personal invitation from the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had invited him last year during the G-20 Summit in China. It is expected that Mr Turnbull will be holding talks on a range of issues with his Indian counterpart.
The relationship between India and Australia had quietly witnessed an upward swing in the last decade with almost five mutual Prime Ministerial visits taking place in the span of last five years. The current visit of Mr Turnbull is the eighth visit by an Australian Prime Minister in the last two decades.
While Australia had always taken the lead in identifying the growing geopolitical importance of India as represented in their successive Prime Ministerial visits to the South Asian giant, Indian political leadership has been slow in according the same status to Australia as it provides to many of its traditional allies in the international politics.
However, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has amended this traditional reluctance associated with Indian political establishment and visited Australia in November 2014, within six months of becoming the country’s Prime Minister.
The visit had then enthralled growing Indian diaspora in Australia and strengthened people to people relationship between both the countries.
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