I spoke to PM-elect Modi on the night of his election and congratulated him on his electoral success.

I am looking forward to working with him.

I invited Prime Minister Modi to the G20 Summit later this year and to visit Australia.

The Indian community has become an integral part of our Australian story.

I acknowledge the strong friendship between Australia and India, particularly the people-to-people links we share.

Since the early 1980s, when I spent three months living in India, Australia and India have grown significantly closer together.

There are around 400,000 Australians of Indian origin and I pay tribute to the significant contributions they make to our country.

Modern Australia is unimaginable without them.

The Prime Minister also tweeted his congratulations to PM-elect Modi, who in turn responded.

I’ve spoken to @narendramodi and congratulated him on his success. I look forward to strengthening ties between India and Australia

@TonyAbbottMHR Thank You Mr. Abbott. I look forward to a bright future for India-Australia relations.

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