India and Australia on Monday reaffirmed the importance of freedom of navigation, overflight and secure maritime trade routes amid disruptions in global energy supply chains triggered by the West Asia crisis and rising concerns over China’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific.
The issues were discussed in wide-ranging talks between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles in New Delhi.
Both sides emphasised the need for a free, open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific and underlined the strategic importance of strengthening defence industrial cooperation and deeper engagement between the two countries.
Following the meeting, Singh and Marles announced that India and Australia will begin work on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the provision of defence articles and defence services, marking a significant step in expanding bilateral defence industrial collaboration.
A joint statement said the two ministers discussed progress in maritime security cooperation and efforts to finalise a Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap. They also agreed to advance collaborative maritime domain awareness initiatives involving maritime patrol aircraft and explore enhanced undersea domain awareness capabilities.
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“The ministers underscored the importance of enhancing cooperation with regional partners to help maintain a free, open, peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” the statement said.
They also reiterated strong support for unimpeded trade and lawful use of the seas in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), while stressing freedom of navigation and overflight.
The two leaders highlighted the growing strategic convergence between India, Australia, Japan and the United States in the Indo-Pacific, and backed the Quad Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Collaboration (IPMSC) initiative, which will initially focus on the Indian Ocean Region through expert exchanges and tabletop exercises.
They also welcomed Australia’s first defence trade mission to India and agreed to explore further exchanges through the Joint Working Group on Defence Industry, Research and Materiel.
In a social media post, Singh described the meeting as “excellent”, saying both sides reviewed the full spectrum of defence cooperation and explored ways to further deepen ties.
“The India-Australia Defence Partnership is poised to make steady progress in the years to come,” he said.
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