Narendra Modi to visit Australia after G20 Summit

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said he will visit Australia after the G20 Summit there in November as there has been no prime ministerial visit from India since 1986.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who is on a state visit here, invited Modi to visit Australia.

"I have accepted Prime Minister Abbott's invitation to pay a bilateral visit to Australia after the G20 Summit," he said adding that both will try and meet each other at every available opportunity.

The G20 summit is scheduled to be held in November. Modi said both the countries will increase dialogue at senior officials' level, including in the political, economic and security areas.

"We will also increase our consultation and coordination in important forums like the Indian Ocean Region Association and East Asia Summit," he said in a joint press briefing with Abbott.

Holding Modi's hands tightly, Abbott said he was "not only pleased but touched" by the warmth of Modi's welcome.