With an eye on China, Australia on Monday said India is one of the “closest” security partners and is keen to work closely with it for an open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
Australia Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, who is also Defence Minister, said "Australia and India are Comprehensive Strategic Partners. I am committed to strengthening Australia's defence and security cooperation with India."
During his India visit from June 20 to 23, Marles is scheduled to hold wide-ranging talks with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. "I am looking forward to meeting with my counterpart, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and holding our first bilateral defence ministers' meeting," Marles said, according to a statement by the Australian Government on Monday.
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.
Marles said Rajnath 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.
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.
Marles said the rules-based international order that has brought peace and prosperity to the Indo-Pacific for decades is experiencing pressure, seen as an oblique reference to China's growing assertiveness in the region.
The visiting Deputy Prime Minister will also meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and interact with national security and defence policymakers and personnel.
The ties between India and Australia have strengthened 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. The Australian Navy was part of the Malabar naval exercise hosted by India in November 2020 as well as last year.
