- Saturday, April 20, 2024
Albanese said the opening of the new diplomatic mission in Bengaluru will help in connecting the country’s businesses to India’s booming digital and innovation ecosystem.
By: Shubham Ghosh
A day after Indian prime minister Narendra Modi announced that New Delhi will establish a consulate general in the Australian city of Brisbane, his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese on Wednesday (24) said Canberra will establish a similar mission in the Indian city of Bengaluru.
The moves are part of the efforts made by both countries to enhance their bilateral ties.
In his media statement after holding talks with Modi in Sydney, Albanese said the opening of the new diplomatic mission in Bengaluru will help in connecting the country’s businesses to India’s booming digital and innovation ecosystem.
India to open consulate in Brisbane, Modi announces in Sydney
The opening up of the consulate-general in Bengaluru, which is known as India’s information technology capital, this month will be the fifth diplomatic mission in India. The four others are in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.
India currently has three consulates in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.
Brisbane currently has an honorary consulate of India.
India, Australia bond goes beyond cricket, Modi says in Sydney as Indian diaspora cheer; see PICS
“Expanding Australia’s diplomatic footprint to Bengaluru will connect Australian businesses to India’s booming digital economy and innovation ecosystem, and reinforce our growing links in science and technology,” Albanese said.
Modi thanked Australia for its support in establishing a consulate general of India in Brisbane.
On G20, Albanese said that he is looking forward to returning to India for the G20 summit which will be held in New Delhi in September.
“My ministers are regularly visiting India for the G20 discussions that have taken place across the full range of portfolios which are there,” he added.
The two leaders also exchanged the MoUs on mobility, migration, and green hydrogen task force. Albanese also spoke about his meeting with Modi in a year which says a lot about the friendship between Australia and India.
“In my first year as Prime Minister, I have met with Prime Minister Modi six times, which underscores the value we place on deepening ties between our nations. Australia is a better place because of the contributions of the Indian-Australian community, and we want to see more connections between our countries,” he said.
Albanese was also very pleased to launch the operations of the Centre for Australia-India Relations that will be based in Parramatta in western Sydney. Headquartered in Parramatta, the centre’s mission is to work across government, industry, academia and the community to further foster ties between the two countries and encourage businesses to “seize the opportunities” of their economic partnership.
(With PTI inputs)
