Australian PM Anthony Albanese receives guard of honour onboard INS Vikrant

INS Vikrant, the 45,000-tonne warship has been built at a cost of Rs 20,000 crore.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who is on a visit to India, received a guard of honour on board INS Vikrant on Thursday.

"I am honoured to be here today on the newly commissioned, Indian-designed, and manufactured INS Vikrant at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi. My visit reflects my government's commitment to place India at the heart of Australia's approach to the Indo-Pacific and beyond," Albanese said in a statement.

"While here, I have had the great pleasure of meeting with the talented and highly professional men and women of India's Navy. It made me reflect that strong defence relationships are forged over time and by many. But arguably, what lifts defence relationships to new levels is the resolve and foresight of those who see the relationship not only for what it is, but what it could be, the statement added.

"Prime Minister Modi is one such person. I'd like to thank him today - not only for his kind invitation for me to visit this landmark capability but for his dedication in driving forward our defence and security partnership. A partnership that is of increasing strategic importance as we navigate the challenges of our region together," it said.

"For Australia, India is a top-tier security partner. The Indian Ocean is central to both countries' security and prosperity. And there has never been a point in both of our country's histories where we've had such a strong strategic alignment," the statement further said.

"We both depend on free and open access to sea lanes in the Indo-Pacific for our trade and economic wellbeing. And we share an unwavering commitment to upholding the rules-based international order and ensuring the Indo-Pacific is open, inclusive and prosperous," it said.

"I'm pleased to report that there's never been a busier or more productive time in our defence and security partnership. Last year, we conducted more exercises, operations and dialogues than ever before," the statement said.

In a major step forward in our relationship, India and Australia undertook Maritime Patrol Aircraft deployments to each other's territories for the first time. In November alone we conducted increasingly complex and sophisticated exercises in Indo-Pacific Endeavour and Exercise Austrahind.

This was capped off by Exercise Malabar - where we bolstered our military interoperability with India, alongside close partners Japan and the United States. More important than these statistics is the sheer complexity and high-end nature of our military engagements, which is unprecedented.

There has never been a busier or more productive time in the bilateral defence and security partnership and 2023 will be "busier than ever" in this area, he added.I am pleased to announce formally, aboard the magnificent INS Vikrant, that later this year Australia will host Exercise Malabar for the first time and India will - also for the first time - participate in Australia's Talisman Sabre exercise.

Both countries depend on free and open access to sea lanes in the Indo-Pacific for trade and economic well-being, Albanese noted, adding that India and Australia share an unwavering commitment to upholding the rules-based international order and ensuring the Indo-Pacific is open, inclusive and prosperous. Notably, the Indo-Pacific region has been witnessing an increasing Chinese assertiveness.