India and Australia are united by the ideals of democracy which offers the best opportunity for the human spirit to flourish, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Tuesday.
"We are united by the ideals of democracy. I consider nations such as ours to be blessed because we have the freedom to choose, the right to speak and the power to remove," the prime minister said in his address to the Australian parliament here.
He added that the statue of Mahatma Gandhi he unveiled in Canberra was a symbol of the shared values between the two countries.
"There was a time when many of us thought of Australia as a distant land on the southern edge of the world. But today the world sees Australia to be at the heart of the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean region.
"This dynamic region holds the key to the future and Australia is at its crossroad," Modi said.
He added that India seeks the same future for the world as Australia and sees Australia as a vital partner in India's quest for progress and prosperity.
"There are few countries in the world where we see so much synergy as we do in Australia," Modi said.
He said that he sees Australia as a major partner in "every area of our national priority".
