New Delhi: Australian High Commissioner in India, Mr. Peter Varghese called on the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mr. Akhilesh Yadav at New Delhi on Friday. At the meeting, Mr. Verghese congratulated the Chief Minister for formation of Government in Uttar Pradesh after the landslide win in the state assembly elections and extended an invitation to him for a convention to be held in Melbourne in October
2012.

Mr. Varghese expressed the willingness of the Australian government to strengthen bilateral ties with India, especially with Uttar Pradesh and submitted a list of proposals to the Chief Minister. The Australian High Commissioner also expressed his wish to work with institutes like the IIT-Kanpur to improve the quality of rivers in Uttar Pradesh and proposed technology transfer in areas like energy, solar energy, agriculture and agriculture research.

He also expressed his country's willingness to support the state in areas like Food processing, Food trade, Coal, Science and Technology. He also told the Chief Minister Mr. Akhilesh Yadav that Lucknow and Australia shared a common bond. He further informed the Chief Minister that the Griffin couple who designed the Australian capital Canberra stayed in Lucknow for several years and designed many landmark buildings in Lucknow, including the library of the Lucknow University.

The Australian High Commissioner also informed the  Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister that in 2013 when Canberra completes its 100th year of existence, these points would also be specially highlighted during the celebrations, so that the ties of Australia and Uttar Pradesh were further strengthened.  During the courtesy call, also present were Minister of State for Protocol Mr. Abhishek Mishra, Resident Commissioner of Uttar Pradesh Mrs. Stuti Narayan Kakkar and Special Secretary to the Chief Minister Mr. Pandhari Yadav.