PM Modi Receives Grand Melbourne Welcome, Hails India Australia Ties

Before the arrival of the Indian Prime Minister, the members of the community presented several cultural performances showcasing their excitement about welcoming the Indian PM. 

PM recalls Australia Visits And Relationship

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "When I visited Australia in 2014, it was the first time an Indian Prime Minister had visited in 28 years. And you might recall I said then that you would not have to wait another 28 years. This is my third visit in the last 12 years--a hat-trick of visits. This demonstrates the great heights that the relationship between India and Australia has reached. And do you know who played the biggest role in this? It wasn't Modi; it was all of you," during his address at the community event in Melbourne. 

Modi, who also met the Indian diaspora members earlier in Sydney, said he had been looking forward to meeting the people of Melbourne as well.

"I would like to begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, and I pay my respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging. This show is houseful. It is a blockbuster... Before this, I had met you all twice in Sydney. I was also waiting to meet the people of Melbourne. So this time I thought I would have a flat white coffee with the people of Melbourne," he said

Modi: Indians Enrich Australia While Preserving Roots

The Indian Diaspora has the remarkable quality of integrating seamlessly into any society, and then adding to its richness, the Prime Minister said using a culinary analogy. 

"There must be many among you who manage at least two time zones in your households. Here, children return from school according to Australian time, while grandparents back in India are waiting to connect via video call. It might be the weekend here, yet a live stream of a wedding in India is playing," he said.

"And alongside this routine, you are all contributing with full vigour to Australia's development. I am proud of you all. We Indians are just like sugar dissolving in milk, making it even sweeter. We Indians keep infusing the world with the essence of our love. The milk at home might be Australian, but the tea brewed is Indian. The lentils and vegetables are Australian, yet they are tempered with authentic Indian spices," he added.

Modi Highlights India's Development And Innovation

PM Modi reiterated that his government wants to make India a developed nation by 2047 and would like to be the world’s third-largest economy by as soon as possible. Modi also spoke about India’s recent landing on the moon’s south pole, and its ambition of building its own space station.

He also stated that India is the second-largest 5G market and developing “Made in India” 6G technology. India has the third-largest metro network, adding that his administration has launched the Vande Bharat and Namo Bharat rail services.

India, Australia Strengthen Strategic Partnership

Earlier in the day, Modi met Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and concluded a summit to improve the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) with 18 major outcomes in energy, defence, critical technology and trade.

"Held wide-ranging discussions with Prime Minister Albanese in Melbourne this afternoon. The India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of 2022 has continuously expanded the scope of our cooperation. We have now decided to accelerate work on the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation, with unprecedented progress over the past few years," Modi wrote on social media platform X.