The Prime Minister of Australia on INS Vikrant, becoming the first foreign Prime Minister, also sat in the cockpit of the LCA. Australian PM Anthony Albanese receives guard of honor from Indian Navy in Mumbai

Mumbai: Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese from the natives INS Vikrant on the Indian Navy Guard of honor. It is India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier. Albanese on 4-day visit to India. Albanese is the first foreign Prime Minister to visit INS Vikrant. Here too he sat in the cockpit of a Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). He praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said how Australia’s relationship with India is strong.

He said he was honored to be recently commissioned on the Indian built and designed INS Vikrant at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi. My visit reflects my Government’s commitment to placing India at the center of Australia’s vision for the Indo-Pacific and beyond. What takes defense relationships to a new level is the determination and foresight of those who make the relationship not just what it is, but what it can be. Prime Minister Modi is one such person.

# watch Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese inside the cockpit of the LCA on INS Vikrant off the coast of Mumbai. pic.twitter.com/hXqSqPIHcF

— ANI (@ANI) March 9, 2023

Albanese said India is a top tier security partner for Australia. The Indian Ocean is central to the security and prosperity of both countries. We both depend on free and open access to the Indo-Pacific sea lanes for our trade and economic well-being. We share an unwavering commitment to maintaining the rules-based international order and ensuring an open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific.

# watch Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese receives guard of honor from India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant pic.twitter.com/Uv7nplQP7B

— ANI (@ANI) March 9, 2023

India and Australia are close strategic partners. The Malabar Navy will conduct exercises with Australia, India, Japan and America in August this year. India will participate in Australia’s Talisman Saber exercise for the first time. Albanese arrived at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad with Prime Minister Modi this morning. The fourth Test match between India and Australia starts here today.

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INS Vikrant was commissioned into the Navy in September last year. The 45,000 tonne warship was built at a cost of Rs 20,000 crore. At 262 meters long and 62 meters wide, INS Vikrant is the largest warship built in India. It can carry up to 30 aircraft, including MiG-29K fighters and helicopters.

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