German Chancellor Scholz, Australian PM Anthony Albanese Line Up Maiden India Visits From Next Week

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese are expected to discuss expansion of cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region during the former's visit to India.

From left: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (Image: AFP)

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to visit India in early March to strengthen bilateral ties in trade, investment, and critical minerals. Although the visit has not been officially announced yet, it is believed that he will begin his trip around March 8 and attend the fourth cricket Test match between India and Australia in Ahmedabad. 

This will be Albanese's first visit to India since assuming office last year. His visit comes after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Australia last week to prepare for it. The two leaders are expected to discuss the expansion of cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as boosting trade, investment, and critical minerals. The India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) came into force in December and will facilitate a significant expansion of two-way trade.

India and Australia's defence and security ties have also been growing stronger in recent years. In June 2020, they signed a landmark deal for reciprocal access to military bases for logistics support. The Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA) enables the militaries of both countries to use each other's bases for repair and replenishment of supplies, as well as scaling up of overall defence cooperation.

In August last year, four Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jets and two C-17 heavy-lift aircraft of the Indian Air Force participated in a 17-nation air combat exercise in Australia. Over 100 aircraft and 2,500 personnel from various countries participated in the exercise in Australia's Northern Territory. Later this year, Australia is set to host the Malabar naval exercise, which will involve the navies of India, Australia, Japan, and the US.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is also set to pay a state visit to India on 25-26 February. This will be Scholz's first visit to India in his current role, and he will be accompanied by senior officials and a high-powered business delegation. He is expected to hold discussions with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on bilateral, regional, and global issues. The two leaders will also interact with CEOs and business leaders of both sides. Scholz will also call on President Murmu.