New Delhi, June 4: Ahead of the first India-Australia Virtual Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi replied to his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison and said he is glad to join him for the first virtual meet between India and Australia. Prime Minister Modi lauded the friendship between the two nations and said India-Australia ties have always been close and asserted to make it stronger. Taking to Twitter, PM Modi said, "Glad to be joining the first India-Australia Virtual Summit with you, PM Scott Morrison, India-Australia ties have always been close. As vibrant democracies, from Commonwealth to Cricket to even Cuisine, our people-to-people relations are strong and the future is bright!

Earlier in the day, Australian Prime Minister had tweeted saying he is looking forward to catching up with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi for the first ever Australia-India virtual summit. Scott Morrison Makes Samosas And Mango Chutney at Home, Wants to Share 'ScoMosas' With PM Narendra Modi (Check Pics)

Here's the tweet by PM Narendra Modi: 

 

The two leaders will hold the virtual summit on Thursday after both India and Australia accepted the US offer to be part of the expanded G7 meet on China. The meeting is set to strengthen their bilateral strategic relationship.

This is the first time that the Prime Minister of India will hold a "bilateral" online summit with a foreign leader. The focus of the virtual meeting would be to explore the possibilities of "stepping up investments and trade with each other," sources said, adding that a number of MoUs and announcements are in the pipeline.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 04, 2020 11:16 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).