India and Australia on Monday reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring freedom of navigation, overflight and unimpeded maritime trade amid global supply chain disruptions and growing strategic challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.
The issues were discussed during talks between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles in New Delhi.
The two leaders emphasized the need for closer cooperation with regional partners to maintain a free, open, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific. They also highlighted the importance of strengthening defence industrial collaboration and security engagement between India and Australia.
Following the meeting, Marles said both countries were close to finalising an updated Joint Declaration on Defence and Security Cooperation and had made significant progress on a Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap.
He noted that expanding defence ties would be a key focus of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Australia, with both sides seeking to deepen strategic and maritime cooperation in the region.
