Early this morning, approximately 170 Indian-origin individuals from Melbourne boarded a charter flight to Sydney to attend an event featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi. These individuals, members of the Indian Australian Diaspora Foundation (IADF), donned tricolor-themed turbans and waved national flags as they danced their way onto the flight, which has been playfully dubbed “Modi Airways” by supporters of the Prime Minister.
The event in Sydney, organized by the IADF, aims to celebrate Australia’s vibrant and diverse Indian community, which the Australian government recognizes as a significant part of the country’s multicultural fabric. In a statement, the government acknowledged the Indian community as a core component of their multicultural society. Dr. Amit Sarwal, the co-founder of the IADF, mentioned that many people were also waiting outside the event venue to cheer for Prime Minister Modi.
During his visit to Australia, Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to meet with his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, in Sydney tomorrow. Before arriving in Australia, Modi concluded his visit to Papua New Guinea, where he held discussions with Prime Minister James Marape and assessed the progress of bilateral relations between the two countries.
One of the notable events during Modi’s visit to Papua New Guinea was the co-hosting of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) summit. This summit aimed to promote regional cooperation and strengthen ties between India and the Pacific Island nations.
Modi’s three-nation tour commenced on Friday in Japan, where he attended several sessions at the G7 summit. He was invited to participate in the summit by his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida. Additionally, Modi, along with US President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Kishida, and Prime Minister Albanese, attended the 3rd in-person Quad Summit in Hiroshima.
Originally scheduled to take place in Australia, the Quad meeting was moved to the sidelines of the G7 summit due to President Biden’s postponement of his trip to Australia amid ongoing negotiations regarding the US debt limit.
Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Australia serves as an opportunity to strengthen bilateral relations, engage with the Indian community in Australia, and participate in key regional forums such as the Quad Summit. It reflects the importance of India’s relations with both Australia and other Pacific Island nations in promoting regional cooperation and addressing common challenges.
