Australian Trade Minister Simon Cream arrived in India on Sunday for a weeklong visit aimed at strengthening the Aussie-India trade and economic partnership. Crean said he hopes to raise the level of relationship between Canberra and New Delhi to a new level.

During his visit, the Australian Trade Minister will meet with his Indian counterpart Minister of Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma. The two officials will discuss the finalization of the bilateral FTA Feasibility Study.

With a population of 1.2 billion, India is the world's largest democracy and is seen as a major market destination. It is also becoming one of Australia's major trading partners.

"This will be my third visit to India and comes at a crucial time with booming trade and investment between the two nations and an opportunity for even greater growth. The Government has put India in the front rank of our international partnerships," Crean said

Crean met with the chairman of the Organizing Committee of the New Delhi Commonwealth Games, Suresh Kalmadi, and discussed the preparations being made by New Delhi for the October Games.

Crean said Australia is looking forward to sending its largest contingent for the Commonwealth Games and added that the Games would be a great event for India.

The Australian official said the discussions with Kalmadi centered on security arrangements in the Games, particularly for Australians representatives during the Games. He expressed initial satisfaction with the cooperation of the Indian government and said talks would continue with the Games less than six months away.

Crean is also scheduled to visit Mumbai and Hyderabad.