PM welcomes Australia joining Intl Solar Alliance

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today welcomed Australia's joining of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and said it will provide a great boost to the grouping.

He conveyed this to Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop when she called on him here, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

Before calling on the prime minister, the visiting dignitary signed the Framework Agreement to join the ISA, a common platform for cooperation among sun-rich countries.

The initiative was launched at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris in 2015 Modi and the then President of France Francois Hollande.

During the meeting, Modi and Bishop also discussed regional and global issues of mutual interest, the PMO said.

The Australian foreign minister briefed Modi on the progress in bilateral relations since the visit of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to India in April this year, it said.

Modi warmly recalled the successful visit of Turnbull to India in April and said the bilateral relationship has deepened a lot since his own visit to Australia in 2014, the statement said.