New Delhi
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday held extensive talks with his Australian counterpart Peter Dutton to boost overall bilateral strategic ties.
The talks took place a day before the inaugural ‘two-plus-two’ dialogue between the foreign and defense ministers of India and Australia.
Shortly before the meeting, an official said the focus would be on expanding the strategic ties between the two defense ministers.
Australian Foreign Minister Maris Payne and Mr Dutton arrived here on Friday for two-plus-two talks, during which the two sides will exchange views on the situation in Afghanistan, as well as discuss further strengthening bilateral defense and strategic ties. are supposed to.
Diplomatic sources said that in the ministerial talks, the two sides are also expected to discuss ways to boost cooperation in the Indo-Pacific in view of China’s growing military assertiveness in the region.
Both Australia and India are part of the Quadrilateral Alliance, which has resolved to work towards ensuring a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific. The other two members of the Quad are the US and Japan.
Sources said the expansion of bilateral cooperation in the areas of maritime security is expected to be another area of focus in the two plus two talks.
The dialogue between the Foreign and Defense Ministers was established as part of an overall goal to expand strategic cooperation between the two countries.
India has such a framework for dialogue with very few countries including the US and Japan.
Defense and military cooperation between India and Australia has gained momentum over the years.
In June last year, India and Australia extended their ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and achieved a historic milestone for mutual access to military bases for logistical support during an online summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison. signed the agreement.
The Australian Navy was part of the recent Malabar naval exercise which also involved the navies of India, the US and Japan.
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