India and Australia have common interests in the Indian Ocean region: Australian Navy

Rear Admiral is on a four-day visit to India as part of the Early Indo-Pacific Endeavor (IPE), Australia’s premier regional engagement activity. He also pointed to the challenges facing the Indo-Pacific region, including “large force movements” in a veiled indication of China’s expansionist policies in the region.

Addressing a question related to Chinese assertiveness in the region, the Rear Admiral expressed his understanding of India managing a large border with China.

As part of the third edition of the IPE, the Royal Australian Navy’s Anzac-class frigate HMAS Anzac and the Canberra-class ship HMAS docked at Adelaide Visakhapatnam Two days ago.

IPE aims to promote stability and security in Australia’s surrounding regions and includes bilateral and multilateral engagement, training and capacity building programmes. It is one of Australia’s major regional maritime activities and the country’s navy is visiting 14 countries in Southeast Asia and the Northeast Indian Ocean from September to November.

The Rear Admiral said the main mission of the IPE is to allow countries to operate independently and uphold international law, and that engagement is not directed at any one country.

naval commander It also announced that Australia is committed to making effective contributions to humanitarian causes and security efforts in the Indo-Pacific.

On the growing security cooperation between China and its Australian neighbor Solomon Islands, Rear Admiral Early said Canberra respects the sovereign decision of any country.

“The Solomon Islands are a sovereign country. It is their decision who they want to join,” he said.

“We can help countries make informed decisions. But it’s up to them to decide,” he said.

India is concerned about China’s increasing maneuvers in the Indian Ocean region and is now trying to boost defense and security ties in the region with the same concerns as the courtiers.

India-Australia defense ties have been getting stronger over the years and both the countries have extended their ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in June 2020. They also signed a landmark agreement on mutual access to military bases for logistical support.

The Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA) allows the armies of both countries to use each other’s bases to facilitate the repair and replenishment of supplies as well as the expansion of overall defense cooperation.