CANBERRA, May 28: Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Richard Marles, will visit India next week for the second Australia-India Defence Ministers’ Dialogue with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, as both countries seek to deepen strategic and military cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
“We remain committed to deepening diplomatic and defence relationships to strengthen cooperation, particularly in the Indo-Pacific,” Richard Marles said.
“Australia and India are top-tier security partners. I look forward to meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to further strengthen our defence partnership following the strong progress we made during his visit to Australia last year,” Marles added.
Officials said the India visit reflects the expanding defence partnership between New Delhi and Canberra amid rising strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific region.
The dialogue follows the inaugural Australia-India Defence Ministers’ meeting held in Australia last October.
The discussions between Singh and Marles are expected to focus on operational cooperation, defence industry collaboration, maritime security, and shared regional priorities.
The coming visit follows Marles’ participation in the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore (May 29-31), one of the region’s premier defence and security forums bringing together military and strategic leaders from across the Indo-Pacific and beyond.
During the Singapore summit, Marles is expected to address the third plenary session on “Asia’s Maritime Security Disorder,” focusing on growing maritime security challenges and the need for greater regional cooperation.
Marles is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with several international defence counterparts on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue.
Describing the regional security environment as increasingly complex, Marles said the Shangri-La Dialogue remains an important platform for engagement and reaffirmed Australia’s commitment to strengthening defence partnerships across the Indo-Pacific.
“In a deteriorating strategic environment, the Shangri-La Dialogue provides an important forum to engage with partners on shared challenges,” he said.
(UNI)
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