Sealing a stronger Indo-Pacific security arc, India and Australia sign three landmark pacts to deepen defence ties.
India and Australia sign three military pacts to expand their bilateral military and defence ties on Thursday. The agreement included a memorandum of understanding on submarine research, a pact of information sharing and rescue cooperation and terms of reference on the establishment of joint staff talks between the two armed forces.
The move came in during a two day visit of India’s Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh to Canberra, Australia. He met with the Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
The meeting marked five years of the India-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership. According to the statement, Singh and Marles carried forward their Prime Ministers’ long-term vision to boost collaboration between the two nations, strengthening collective capability, enhancing security, and supporting regional peace. They also discussed a joint maritime security roadmap to deepen cooperation at sea and said they look forward to the Prime Ministers renewing and strengthening the joint declaration on defence and security cooperation.
The two leaders also emphasised the importance of strengthening cooperation with regional partners to uphold “a free, open, peaceful, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific.” They reaffirmed strong support for freedom of navigation and overflight, unimpeded trade, and other lawful uses of the sea in line with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The focus on Indo-Pacific developments, where China is expanding its presence, had been highlighted earlier in March during Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan’s visit to Australia.
