India discusses maritime security, related issues with Australia & Japan

NEW DELHI: India along with Australia and Japan on Wednesday discussed issues of maritime security,counter terrorism and economic cooperation here. The issues figured at the 4th India-Australia-Japan trilateral meeting, official sources said. "Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar hosts the 4th India-Australia-Japan trilateral meeting with his Australian and Japanese counterparts in New Delhi. Issues of maritime security, counter terrorism and economic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region were discussed," said a tweet from the Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Raveesh Kumar. The meeting is said to be crucial especially in the context of increasing Chinese presence in Indian Ocean Region, a strategically significant region. In Manila, on November 12, in a major diplomatic initiative, giving a new impetus to the emergence of a new quadrilateral structure - India, the United States, Australia and Japan had agreed that a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region would "serve the long-term interests of all countries" in the region and of the world at large. (AGENCIES)