India and Australia today affirmed the importance of enhancing cooperation with regional partners to help maintain a free, open, peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific. During the second edition of India-Australia Defence Ministers’ Dialogue in New Delhi, both the countries underscored the importance of freedom of navigation and overflight, and their strong support for unimpeded trade in the region and other lawful uses of the sea consistent with international law. The meeting was co-chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles.
In a statement, the Defence Ministry said that during the meeting both the leaders welcomed the significant progress in the bilateral relation, and reflected on the enhanced consultation and cooperation since the inaugural edition of the dialogue in October last year.
The Ministry said that both the ministers welcomed the progress towards realising their Prime Ministers’ commitment to renew and strengthen the Joint Declaration on Defence and Security Cooperation. It added that the two sides discussed advancements in bilateral maritime security cooperation and efforts to finalise the Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap. They also encouraged further cooperation between the Indian Coast Guard and Australia’s Maritime Border Command.
The Ministers announced that India and Australia would begin developing a Memorandum of Understanding regarding the Provision of Defence Articles and Defence Services as the next step in deepening defence industrial collaboration. Both the Ministers looked forward to exploring future defence science and technology research cooperation in new technology areas like sensor technologies. The Australian Deputy Prime Minister also invited India to participate in the 2026 Australian Defence Science, Technology, and Research Summit.
