India, Australia to strengthen defence and security partnership

India and Australia have committed towards strengthening the defence and security partnership between the two nations.

A joint statement issued after the talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Tony Abbot said that the two leaders reaffirmed their desire for a peaceful, prosperous and stable Asia-Pacific region, underpinned by cooperative mechanisms. They emphasized their interest in building closer cooperation in the maritime domain.

The two Prime Ministers welcomed the growing cooperation in defence, counter-terrorism, cyber policy, transnational crime, disarmament and non-proliferation, humanitarian assistance, disaster management and peacekeeping. They called for deepening the framework of defence and security cooperation to guide the bilateral engagement in these and other priority areas.

Both the leaders also welcomed preparations for the inaugural bilateral maritime exercise to be held in 2015 and initiatives under way to further strengthen defence cooperation, including closer engagement and cooperation in defence science and industry. They also explored joint participation in events commemorating World War I.

Prime Minister Abbott extended an invitation to Prime Minister Modi to attend the commemoration of the 100 year anniversary of Gallipoli in 2015.

The two leaders noted that both Australians and Indians have been victims of terrorism, commended the work of the Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism, including discussions on cyber security and the growing collaboration against the threat posed by terrorist groups. They noted the ongoing cooperation in combating illegal migration.

Prime Ministers Modi and Abbot also noted the importance of the maritime dimension, and welcomed discussions on maritime security in the ongoing disarmament and non-proliferation dialogue held at the level of officials.