Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese landed in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, on Wednesday afternoon. Till March 11, Albanese will be in India on a state visit.
During his four-day tour, Albanese is scheduled to meet with PM Narendra Modi to finalise the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) deal. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Monday that he will also undertake private discussions to enhance relations between Australia and India.
In December of last year, the ECTA deal between India and Australia was unveiled. From the day the agreement goes into effect, Australia will grant zero-duty access to India for about 96.4 per cent of exports (by value), while India will grant Australia preferential access on more than 70 per cent of its tariff lines.
Albanese is making his first trip to India as Prime minister of Australia. On March 9, he would travel to Mumbai before continuing on to Delhi.
The Australian Minister for Trade and Tourism, Senator Don Farrell, the Minister for Resources and Northern Australia, Madeleine King, as well as top officials and a high-level business delegation, have all been invited by PM Modi to meet with Albanese.
The annual summit between PM Albanese and PM Modi would be held to talk about areas of collaboration under the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, as well as to talk about local and global problems of shared interest, the MEA announced on Monday.
