PM Modi set to visit Australia in "near future", says Australian FM Penny Wong

She made the remarks while speaking to the press here in the national capital.

Wong said, "My Prime Minister has today announced that Prime Minister Modi will visit Australia in the very near future. We look forward to that visit".

She added that she looked forward to meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi later today.

She hailed the ties between the two countries and underlined how they share a vision of a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific.

"We want to work together for our region and for our people", Wong said.

"We (India-Australia) are comprehensive strategic partners. We have a relationship that is anchored in strategic trust. We have a great deal of strategic alignment. And our economic ties continue to deepen. India is the world's fastest-growing major economy. It's an essential economic partner for Australia. As we seek to diversify supply chains and grow our economy and our productivity, this relationship only grows", Wong further noted.

Penny Wong participated in the Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting, which took place earlier today in New Delhi. Along with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the leaders underlined deepening collaborations for a free and open Indo-Pacific.

The foreign ministers of the Quad grouping (India, the United States, Japan and Australia) on Tuesday unveiled a broad set of initiatives focused on critical technologies, energy security, resilient supply chains and humanitarian cooperation during their meeting in New Delhi.

Shortly after the meeting, India, Australia, Japan and the United States on Tuesday unveiled the Quad Critical Minerals Initiative Framework, pledging to mobilise up to USD 20 billion in government and private sector support to strengthen secure and resilient critical minerals supply chains across the Indo-Pacific region. (ANI)