India, Australia To Explore New Initiatives To Further Strengthen Bilateral Defence Engagements

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his visiting Australian counterpart Richard Marles will explore new initiatives to further expand bilateral defence engagements in their talks on Wednesday (22 June).

The Defence Ministry said that the two ministers will also exchange views on regional and global issues of shared interest.

"During the bilateral talks, the two Ministers will review the defence cooperation between the two countries and explore new initiatives to further strengthen bilateral engagements. They will also exchange views on regional and global issues of shared interest," the Defence Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday (21 June).

The visit by Marles is the first high-level trip to India from Australia after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's centre-left Labor Party came to power last month defeating predecessor Scott Morrison's conservative coalition in the parliamentary elections.

Marles arrived in Goa on Monday (20 June) on the first leg of his four-day visit to India. He visited Goa Shipyard Limited today (21 June) and will be visiting INS Hansa later in the day during his stay in Goa.

The Defence Ministry said that India and Australia share a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership since June 2020 and defence is a key pillar of this partnership.

"The partnership is based on a shared vision of free, open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. The two democracies have a common interest in peace and prosperity of the entire region," the ministry said.

(With inputs from PTI)