Mumbai: Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott started his India visit from Mumbai where he arrived early Thursday, heading a 30-strong business delegation.His day, full of engagements, started by paying homage to the 26/11 terror attack victims at Hotel Taj Mahal Palace where he is staying in south Mumbai.Later, Abbott called on Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao at the Raj Bhavan.
On the first day of his two-day visit during which he is expected to sign a long-awaited deal to sell uranium to the energy-starved nation, the Australian PM said that India offered an “abundance” of opportunity.
During Abbott’s two-day visit, India and Australia would look at ways to deepen strategic ties and strengthen two-way trade and commerce.During his day-long visit to the financial capital, his first port of call, Abbott will also attend the launch of the Australian Government’s New Colombo Plan in India and be present for felicitation of young cricketers by Oz cricket greats Adam Gilchrist and Brett Lee at Cricket Club of India. India’s cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar will also attend the ceremony.
Abbott had said on Tuesday that if Australia was prepared to sell uranium to Russia then “surely we ought to be prepared to provide uranium to India under suitable safeguards”, noting it was a “fully functioning democracy with the rule of law”.
After failure to conclude a civil nuclear deal with Japan during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to that country, if inked, the pact with Australia, which has about a third of the world’s recoverable uranium resources and exports nearly 7,000 tonnes a year, would boost India’s energy sector.
Abbott is scheduled to hold talks with top Indian leadership in Delhi including President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday.
A clutch of pacts in areas including mining, finance and education could be signed. After being accorded a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan in the morning, Abbott will lay wreaths at Rajghat and India Gate before meeting Prime Minister Modi at Hyderabad House.
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