Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday said that the relationship between Australia and India has never been stronger and expressed his eagerness to work with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the coming years to build a prosperous future for the region.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi called Albanese to congratulate him on his party’s landslide victory in Saturday’s General Election.
“Thank you for the call, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and for your warm congratulations. The relationship between Australia and India has never been stronger. I look forward to working with you over the coming years to build a prosperous future for our region,” Albanese said in a post on X.
During the telephone conversation, Prime Minister Modi congratulated Albanese on his historic re-election as the 32nd Prime Minister of Australia.
“Spoke with my friend Anthony Albanese to personally congratulate him on his party’s historic victory. We agreed to work together with renewed vigour to advance the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and explore new areas of cooperation,” PM Modi posted on X after the phone call.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), both Prime Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) between the two countries. They noted that in its five years, the CSP has fostered robust cooperation across a diverse range of sectors. They also highlighted the role played by the vibrant Indian-origin diaspora in cementing bilateral ties.
The two leaders exchanged views on regional and global matters of mutual interest and reiterated their commitment to promoting a free, open, stable, rules-based, and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
“Prime Minister invited PM Albanese to visit India, including for the Annual Summit and the QUAD Summit to be hosted in India later this year. The leaders agreed to remain in touch,” the MEA said.
PM Modi had also congratulated Albanese on Saturday, immediately after Labor’s resounding win, which saw the party securing 92 lower house seats — only the third time in Australia’s history that a party has won more than 90 seats.
“Congratulations Anthony Albanese on your resounding victory and re-election as Prime Minister of Australia! This emphatic mandate indicates the enduring faith of the Australian people in your leadership. I look forward to working together to further deepen the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and advance our shared vision for peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific,” PM Modi said on X.
Albanese, who also spoke with US President Donald Trump, discussed tariffs during their call. On Monday, he announced that his first overseas trip in his second term as Prime Minister would be to Indonesia.
Prime Minister Modi and his Australian counterpart last met on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro last November. During that meeting, they also held the second Australia-India Annual Summit ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Australia-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2025.
Both Prime Ministers noted the significant progress in strengthening bilateral ties across a range of key sectors — including climate change and renewable energy, trade and investment, defence and security, education and research, skills and mobility, science and technology, regional and multilateral cooperation, community and cultural links, and people-to-people ties.
Reaffirming their commitment to deepen cooperation, they reflected on shared regional interests and acknowledged that closer bilateral engagement has benefited both nations and the broader region.
The leaders also emphasized that ‘Make in India’ and ‘Future Made in Australia’ have complementarity and collaborative potential, which could create new jobs, drive economic growth, and secure future prosperity in a changing world.
India and Australia are also members of the Quad grouping, alongside the United States and Japan.
—IANS
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