Delegation of six Indian MPs visits Australia to improve bilateral ties

Melbourne: Six Indian parliamentarians are on a five-day visit to Australia, aimed at further enhancing bilateral linkages and understanding between the two nations.

The Members of Parliament (MPs) who arrived in Melbourne on Monday include Asaduddin Owaisi, Vivek Gupta, Rajeev Gowda, Sharad Tripathi, Mohammed Faizal and Ramesh Chandran.

Under the programme ‘Indian Young Parliamentarian visit to Australia’, the lawmakers would visit Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Sydney and Gold Coast from 18 to 22 August and hold meetings with Australian officials, leaders, experts and academicians.

The delegation on Monday held a private roundtable discussions at the ‘Austalia India Institute’ which was attended by its director Amitabh Mattoo with two noted Professors - Allan Fels AO and Ross Garnaut AO. The delegation of MPs held discussions on the potential of bilateral relationship and Australia’s foreign policy stance besides further enhancing linkages and understanding between the two nations.

Organised by India-based ‘Centre for Policy Research,’ the programme is aimed at providing Indian political leaders with an understanding and experience of contemporary Australia, and to build connections between lawmakers of the two countries.

The MPs are expected to meet Victoria Police Commissioner to understand law and order and multiculturalism. They would also be meeting experts to discuss uranium exports to India in Brisbane after visiting Canberra.

The initiative is seen as an opportunity for the young MPs to explore Australia for developing it as an economic and strategic partner in future. All the MPs are on their first visit to Australia.

PTI