Sydney: Amid chants of ‘Hail Modi’, ‘Vanakkam Modi’, ‘Namaste Modi’ and ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, the Indian community welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he arrived in Sydney on Monday for two days of constructive engagements the with Australian leadership, business community and diaspora members.
“Modi ji we have great hopes from you,” a member of the Indian community said, as the Prime Minister greeted and shook hands with the community members, who were eagerly awaiting for his arrival since he last visited the country in 2014.
“Landed in Sydney to a warm welcome by the Indian community. Looking forward to various programmes over the next two days,” Modi tweeted upon landing in Sydney.
Modi, who is visiting Australia from May 22-24 as a guest of the Australian government, was received at the airport by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Ahead of the Indian PM’s arrival, Albanese said in a statement, “I am honoured to host Prime Minister Modi for an official visit to Australia, after receiving an extremely warm welcome in India earlier this year.”
“Australia and India share a commitment to a stable, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific. Together we have an important role to play in supporting this vision,” he said, amid China’s aggressive behaviour in the region as well as its efforts to expand its influence.
As part of his final leg of the three-nation tour, Modi will hold talks with his Australian counterpart Albanese and will address Australia’s eight lakh-plus strong, dynamic and diverse Indian diaspora.
In 2014, Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Australia after Rajiv Gandhi, where he addressed 20,000 people at the Sydney SuperDome at Olympic Park and said that in coming years, more Indian leaders will be visiting Down Under.
(IANS)
