(MENAFN- Trend News Agency)
India is one of Australia's 'closest' security partners and
Canberra is keen to work closely with it for an open and inclusive
Indo-Pacific, Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said
on Monday as he begins a four-day visit to New Delhi, Trend reports citing
NDTV .
It is the first high-level visit to India from Australia after
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's center-left labor Party came to
power last month defeating predecessor Scott Morrison's
conservative coalition in the parliamentary elections.
During his visit from June 20 to 23, he is scheduled to hold
wide-ranging talks with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
'Australia and India are Comprehensive Strategic Partners. I am
committed to strengthening Australia's defence and security
cooperation with India,' Mr Marles said.
'I am looking forward to meeting with my counterpart, Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh, and holding our first bilateral defence
ministers' meeting,' he said, according to a statement by the
Australian government.
India is one of Australia's closest security partners and his
government is focused on revitalising the country's historically
deep engagement with its partners across the Indo-Pacific, he
said.
'The rules-based international order that has brought peace and
prosperity to the Indo-Pacific for decades is experiencing
pressure, as we face shifts in the geostrategic order,' he
said.
'Australia stands ready to work closer with India in support of
an open, inclusive and resilient Indo-Pacific,' he added.
Mr Marles said Mr Singh has been instrumental in advancing
India-Australia defence ties and he was looking forward to working
with him to enhance the defence pillar of the comprehensive
strategic partnership between the two sides.
He is also scheduled to meet External Affairs Minister S
Jaishankar and interact with national security and defence
policymakers and personnel.
The ties between India and Australia have been on an upswing in
the last few years.
In April, the two countries inked a trade pact to diversify
bilateral trade.
In June 2020, India and Australia elevated their ties to a
comprehensive strategic partnership and signed a landmark deal for
reciprocal access to military bases for logistics support.
The Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA) allows the
militaries of the two countries to use each other's bases for
repair and replenishment of supplies, besides facilitating scaling
up of overall defence cooperation.
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The Australian Navy was part of the Malabar naval exercise
hosted by India in November 2020 as well as last year.
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