Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is scheduled to visit India in January at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will deliver the inaugural speech at the Raisina Dialogue 2020 which will be held in New Delhi. During Morrison’s speech at the Sydney Town Hall on October 3, he said that "I am honored 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," as quoted by ANI.

The Raisina Dialogue

The Raisina Dialogue is considered a major platform for discussions on geopolitics and geo-economics and is hosted by India. The dialogue is held annually. The conference is scheduled to be held from January 14 to 16 next year. The Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs will be responsible for the organisation of the conference. Samir Saran who is the President of ORF will look after the conference. He expressed his gratitude to the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison for accepting the invitation. Saran tweet out that it is delightful news that Scott Morrison will deliver the inaugural address at the conference. He further focused on the bilateral relations between the two nations.

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India a 'natural partner' to Australia 

On the other hand, Morrison acknowledged and emphasized that India is a ‘natural partner’ of Australia. He further extended the invitation to Ashok Jacob, Chair of the Australia-India Council Board, who is expected to look after the business delegation during Morrison’s India visit next year. He said, "The visit will be accompanied 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 also added that "My visit will be another step in cementing India in the top tier of Australia's partnerships," As quoted by ANI

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Australian President praises India

Addressing the issue of Indo-Pacific, the Australian PM said that India is a "great success story" in the region further asserting that it is a country that is known for “durable institutions and shared values”. He was also hopeful about the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, which deals with a free trade agreement with 16 nations. The agreement is scheduled to be signed next month.

Morrison in his statement further added that “Next month we, our ASEAN partners and other nations in the region hope to conclude the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, embracing 16 economies with a combined population of 3.5 billion and combined GDP of USD 25.7 billion." According to Morrison, the agreement will strengthen the position of India in the Indo-Pacific economy.

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