Melbourne | Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday left for New Zealand after concluding a three-day visit to Australia, during which the two countries signed a raft of landmark pacts spanning civil nuclear energy, maritime security and critical minerals sectors.
Modi is on a three-nation visit to Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand, aimed at boosting trade, energy and defence ties.
"As my Australia visit concludes, I express my heartfelt gratitude to the Government and people of Australia as well as to PM Albanese for their warmth," he said in a post on X.
"The outcomes of this visit have further strengthened our partnership and opened new avenues for cooperation across diverse sectors. The momentum in the times to come will benefit our nation and the entire planet," he added.
Modi was seen off by Foreign Minister Penny Wong at the airport.
"Stronger Partnership. Greater Ambition. Shared Future. PM @narendramodi departed Melbourne after a successful visit further strengthening the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a post on X.
"From strategic defence cooperation and economic engagements to education, sports and vibrant community connections, the visit opened new avenues for collaboration and reinforced the deep bonds between the people of India and Australia. PM has emplaned for the last leg of his visit to Auckland, New Zealand," it added.
The final leg of Modi's three-nation tour is taking him to Auckland at the invitation of New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.
During his two-day visit, Modi will hold bilateral talks with Luxon and other top leaders and address the Indian diaspora.
Before leaving for his foreign visit, Modi said that his talks with Luxon would focus on ways to enhance economic, trade and commercial engagements.
"My visit will meaningfully build upon the strong momentum in our bilateral ties pursuant to the visit of Prime Minister Luxon to India in March 2025," he said.
Modi said India and New Zealand have committed themselves to strengthening bilateral trade and commercial ties with the signing of the Free Trade Agreement.
During his three-day visit to Australia, Modi held summit talks with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese, and both leaders reinforced the vital role of the bilateral partnership in ensuring a peaceful Indo-Pacific.
A major highlight of the summit talks between the two leaders was their focus on significantly ramping up defence ties, especially in the maritime domain.
An agreement on civil nuclear energy to facilitate the commercial supply of uranium from Australia to India to fuel New Delhi's nuclear power projects was sealed after over two years of negotiations.
He was in Indonesia before that, where he inked 14 agreements to boost cooperation in critical minerals, maritime security and other key sectors.