New Delhi: The Australian High Commission announced, on Friday, that Australian minister Matthew Canavan will visit India next week to bolster bilateral ties in the resources sector.

Canavan, who is the minister for resources, will meet his ministerial counterparts and resource industry leaders during his visit to Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai. The minister’s visit is scheduled to be held from next Monday to Thursday, the high commission stated.

To explore the opportunities to support India’s requirement of minerals and to discuss the potential of Australia’s resource sector, Canavan, in Delhi, will meet Union commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal; mines and coal minister Pralhad Joshi; and steel, petroleum and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan, it said.

Along with meeting business leaders in Mumbai, during his India visit, Canavan will also call on West Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra in Kolkata.

The high commission’s statement acknowledged India as Australia's fourth-largest export market and a key destination for Australian coal and copper

Australia is a natural partner for India in the resources sector, remarked Harinder Sidhu, Australia's High Commissioner to India, who welcomed the visit.

"The resources and METS (Mining Equipment, Technology and Services) sectors are a priority under the India Economic Strategy," Sidhu said. "Australia's comparative advantage in these sectors and the opportunities that India's growth trajectory presents are highly complementary."

Canavan’s visit comes at a time when the Australian and Indian governments have returned with a "renewed sense of vigour for the relationship", Sidhu said.