Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese on Tuesday addressed a full house at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. The Sydney Olympic Park was packed with members of the Indian diaspora who gave Modi a rousing welcome.
Modi said that he “kept his promise that Indians in Australia will not have to wait for another 28 years to see their PM”. He said, “When I came here in 2014, I made a promise to you that you will not have to wait for 28 years for an Indian Prime Minister. So, here I am in Sydney once again.” He also mentioned Sameer Pandey being elected as the Lord Mayor of Parramatta.
The Prime Minister thanked his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese for the renaming of Harris Park as Little India. Modi said, “Once upon a time, India-Australia relations were defined by 3Cs — Commonwealth, Cricket and Curry. After this, some said it is defined by 3Ds — Democracy, Diaspora and Dosti.”
Modi said that now some say the relation is being by 3Es — Energy, Economy and Education. “Our lifestyles may be different but now Yoga also connects us. We have been connected due to cricket for long. But now tennis and films are also connecting us. We might prepare food in different manners but Masterchef is connecting us now.”
Earlier, about 170 Indian-origin people took a chartered flight from Melbourne to Sydney to attend an event of Narendra Modi. The members of the Indian Australian Diaspora Foundation (IADF), sporting tri-colour-themed turbans and waving national flags, danced their way to the flight named by the Prime Minister’s supporters as ‘Modi Airways’.
Modi arrived in Sydney from Papua New Guinea, where he held talks with his counterpart James Marape and took stock of their bilateral relations. He also discussed ways to further augment cooperation in areas like commerce, technology, healthcare and climate change.
The two leaders co-hosted the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation summit on Monday, fostering regional cooperation.
“My Papua New Guinea visit has been a historic one. I will greatly cherish the affection received among the people of this wonderful nation. I also had the opportunity to interact with respected FIPIC leaders and discuss ways to deepen ties with their respective nations,” Modi tweeted.
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