According to PTI, Albanese is likely to begin the visit around March 8. People familiar with the plan said that he and Prime Minister Narerndra Modi may travel to Ahmedabad to witness the fourth cricket Test match between India and Australia.
The fourth Test is scheduled to be held at Ahmedabad from March 9-13.
The visit comes days after external affairs minister S Jaishankar visited Australia last week ostensibly to prepare for the visit to India by the Australian prime minister.
While there’s no official announcement of the visit yet, Albanese mentioned about his trip to India in a tweet after meeting Jaishankar on Saturday.
It was wonderful to meet with @DrSJaishankar this morning ahead of my trip to India next month. We discussed our… https://t.co/vv2KXHcm8u
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) 1676685252000
The visit comes at a time when India and Australia have been expanding their security ties under the Quad security group, which also includes US and Japan.
In June 2020, India and Australia elevated their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership and signed a landmark deal for reciprocal access to military bases for logistics support.
Australia is set to host the Malabar naval exercise later this year. It will involve the navies of India, Australia, Japan and the US.
Both the countries have openly advocated for a free and fair Indo-Pacific amid China’s growing assertiveness in the region.
Trade ties between India and Australia have also been on an upswing in the last few years.
The India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) came into force in December and it is expected to facilitate significant expansion of two-way trade.
(With inputs from PTI)
