Australian PM Anthony Albanese goes onboard INS Vikrant, receives guard of honour

The Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday went onboard the indigenous INS Vikrant and received a guard of honour from the Indian Navy in Mumbai.

Albanese was received onboard the aircraft carrier by Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar.

The Australian PM, while addressing the media onboard INS Vikrant, thanked PM Modi for inviting him to visit the indigenous aircraft carrier, a landmark capability, and also announced that the next edition of the multilateral naval exercise Malabar will be hosted by Australia for the first time later



this year.

"Australia and India depend on free and open access to the Indo-Pacific for our trade and for our economic well-being. We share an unwavering commitment to upholding the international order and ensuring the Indo-Pacific is prosperous," he said.

Albanese is on a three-day India trip and has so far joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi to watch the first day of the 4th test match between India and Australia at Narendra Modi stadium in Gujarat's Motera.

He arrived in India on Wednesday and he visited Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad.