Australian PM Scott Morrison to arrive on 3-day visit to India from Jan14-16

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison will visit India next year from January 14 to 16 to strengthen ties between the two countries, diplomatic sources told .

During his three-day trip, which comes following the invitation by his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, the Australian Prime Minister will also visit Mumbai and Bengaluru, apart from the national capital, sources added.

Here, Morrison is slated to deliver an inaugural address at the Raisina Dialogue 2020 in New Delhi.

"I am honoured to accept the invitation of my friend Prime Minister Modi to visit India in January (2020), including to deliver the inaugural address at the Raisina Dialogue," Morrison said during his address at the Sydney Town Hall in October.

The Raisina Dialogue, India's annual flagship platform on geopolitics and geo-economics, is slated to be held from January 14 to 16 next year. The conference is hosted by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs.

ORF president Samir Saran, who curates the Raisina Dialogue, thanked Morrison for accepting the invitation.

"Delighted that PM @ScottMorrisonMP will deliver the inaugural address at @raisinadialogue - no better person and signals the importance of this bilateral. Thank you for accepting our invitation @AusHCIndia @MEAIndia @DrSJaishankar," he had said in a tweet.

Underlining that India is a "natural partner" for Australia, Morrison said he has invited Ashok Jacob, Chair of the Australia-India Council Board, to lead the business delegation during the upcoming visit.

"The visit will be accomped by a business delegation that I have invited Ashok Jacob, Chair of the Australia-India Council Board, to lead.

This will bring Government and business together to pursue our India Economic Strategy that has captured the attention of our Indian partners and must now be realized," he remarked.

"My visit will be another step in cementing India in the top tier of Australia's partnerships," Morrison added.

Touching upon the issue of Indo-Pacific, the Australian premier said that India is a "great success story" in the region, adding that it is "a land of durable institutions and shared values".

( With inputs from ANI )