Krishna to visit Australia, attacks on Indians top agenda

Against the backdrop of continuing attacks on Indian students in Australia, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna today announced he would be travelling to that country on a bilateral visit soon. Krishna, however, underlined that India enjoys "a very good relationship with Australia."

Against the backdrop of continuing attacks on Indian students in Australia, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on Wednesday announced he would be travelling to that country on a bilateral visit soon.

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"I have decided to go to Australia. Dates are going to be finalised soon," Krishna told reporters here when asked about the continuing assaults on Indian students Down Under.

This will be the first high-level visit from New Delhi to Canberra since reports of attacks on Indian students in that country sparked public outrage in India.

The visit is expected to take place early August, reliable sources said.

When asked to comment on a recent media report that 54 international students, nearly half of them from India, in Australia had died last year, Krishna said he has asked India's high commissioner to Canberra to find out the veracity of the report.

Krishna, however, underlined that India enjoys "a very good relationship with Australia" and clarified that his visit would not be focused exclusively on allegedly racist attacks on Indian students in Australia.

There have been at least 20 attacks, many of them allegedly racist in nature, on Indian students in Australia in the past two months.