After Backpacking For 6 Weeks Back In ’90s, AUS PM Albanese Looks Forward To Official Maiden Visit To India

by Vaishalee Kalvankar
After Backpacking For 6 Weeks Back In ’90s, AUS PM Albanese Looks Forward To Official Maiden Visit To India

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese flew down to India and is on a four-day visit beginning March 8. He landed in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. He first visited Ahmedabad and then New Delhi. Albanese hopes his maiden visit to India as Australia’s prime minister will be much different than his previous visits. He mentioned that he had backpacked for six weeks in India. 

Australian PM Albanese Visits India

Albanese took over as the PM of Australia in May 2022, and this is his maiden visit as PM to India. In 1991, he spent six weeks backpacking around India. He hopes that during this visit he will not be harassed at Connaught Place in India’s capital city, New Delhi, to buy stuff recalling his previous visit. 

He believes that as he is the PM now, his visit will be well protected. Albanese mentioned that he stayed in some of the cheap hotels. Recalling his visit, he said that there are a lot of old, rundown places that offer stays for five bucks only. Catching trains, hitching. Friendly people and everything else made his visit to India awesome. 

After that, he visited India in 2018 as part of an Australian parliamentary delegation and calls that experience a different one. Indians are known for the spices in their food but as Australians love all sorts of food, Albanese said that he loves hot food. 

 Also Read: From Driving Rick To Tempering Khichdi To Meeting Dignitaries, Here is A Peek Into Bill Gates’s India Diaries

Watching India-Australia Match In Gujarat Stadium

On Thursday morning, India’s prime minister Narendra Modi and Australia’s prime minister Anthony Albanese reached Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Narendra Modi welcomed Albanese to the largest stadium in the world. 

 

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A post shared by Anthony Albanese (@albomp)

The two explored the massive sports arena on a golf cart and then briefly watched the fourth Test match between India and Australia. The two prime ministers also presented Australia’s Steve Smith and India’s Rohit Sharma with their respective team’s caps. 

Along with Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Albanese celebrated Holi on Wednesday at Raj Bhawan in the state’s capital, Ahmedabad.

 

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A post shared by Anthony Albanese (@albomp)

 The Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), which went into effect in December, is the reason for the Australian prime minister’s first visit in six years.

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We hope his maiden visit as Prime Minister is way more awesome!

Cover Image Courtesy: @anthonyalbanese/Twitter