Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hoping to recreate Madison Square magic in Sydney’s Olympic Park when he travels to Australia this week. The PM will interact with over 15,000 people in one-and-a-half hour programme in Sydney on November 17.
Modi will be travelling to Australia for the G-20 Summit in Brisbane. After the Summit, Modi will have a bilateral meeting with Australian PM Tony Abbott where agreements on defence cooperation, narcotics control, social security, tourism and culture, among others, are likely to be signed.
The Prime Minister will also address the joint sitting of the Australian Parliament.
Further, Aussie PM Abbott will host a dinner in Modi’s honour at the historic Melbourne Cricket Ground.
However, in between his official meetings, the PM plans to engage the Indian diaspora in a big way in Australia. This will be the first visit by any Indian PM to Australia after Rajiv Gandhi had visited the country in 1986.
The Sydney Park function is likely to have members of Australian politics and eminent personalities from various fields.
“I am looking forward to my visit to Australia with great enthusiasm. I am conscious of the fact that a prime ministerial visit from India is taking place after 28 years. While we have much in common with Australia, our political, strategic and economic relations have been below potential. A closer strategic partnership with Australia will support India’s economic goals; promote our security interests, including maritime security; and, reinforce our efforts to foster a climate of peace and stability in our extended continental and maritime neighbourhood,” PM said in a departure statement.
Modi leaves for a 10-day tour to Myanmar, Australia and Fiji on Tuesday to participate in the ASEAN-India summit and the East Asia Summit on November 12-13, and G-20 Summit in Brisbane on November 15-16. later, Modi will travel to Fiji on a day-long visit on November 19. He will be the first Indian PM to visit the south Pacific Island nation after a gap of 33 years, the first being Indira Gandhi in 1981.
According to Anil Wadhwa, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs, the Prime Minister’s trip will be a Rslandmark visit’ and is aimed at Rsre-engaging’ Australia. India and Australia signed an agreement for supply of Uranium during Abbott’s visit to India. India plans to discuss investment and trade issues with Australia. The Island country has shown interest in transfer-of-technology in mining sector to India where Australia has huge interest.
In Mynamar, Modi will have first meeting with his Chinese counterpart li Keqiang on the sidelines of the East Asia summit at Nay Pyi Taw. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said there will be a structured meeting and delegation-level talks between Modi and the Chinese Premier in Myanmar. The Chinese PM was among the first leaders to have congratulated Modi over the phone after he was sworn-in as the Prime Minister of India and pledged to build a Rsrobust’ relationship with the Modi Government. Incidentally, Modi will also meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Brisbane during an informal meet of the leaders of the five-nation BRICS bloc on the fringes of the G-20 summit in Brisbane.
Modi will also have bilateral meets with his British and Canadian counterparts David Cameron and Stephen Harper, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Spanish Premier Mariano Rajoy Brey on the fringes of the G-20 Summit.