NEW DELHI, June 20:
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.
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, who is also Australia’s defence minister, 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.
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,” 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. Marles said 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. (PTI)
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