India and Australia Strengthen Defence Ties
Rajnath Singh and Richard Marles Discuss Cooperation
On Thursday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met with Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Richard Marles in New Delhi. They discussed various issues related to defence cooperation and closer collaboration between the two nations in the Indo-Pacific region.
Rajnath Singh emphasized the importance of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Australia. He shared on X, ‘Spoke with Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Mr. @RichardMarlesMP. We reviewed a range of issues pertaining to defence cooperation and discussed closer collaboration between India and Australia in the Indo-Pacific. We place great value on India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Australia.’
The two ministers acknowledged the significant progress in defence cooperation under the strategic partnership and appreciated the momentum achieved since the last India-Australia 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in November 2023.
According to the Ministry of Defence, Australia considers India a top-tier security partner in their National Defence Strategy document released in 2024. Richard Marles congratulated Rajnath Singh on his reappointment as Defence Minister and praised India’s democratic system. He also congratulated India on winning the T20 World Cup.
In recent years, India and Australia have seen exponential growth in bilateral cooperation, expanding into new areas and opening up new possibilities. In June, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar thanked his Australian counterpart Penny Wong for coordinating humanitarian assistance to Papua New Guinea’s Enga Province, affected by a landslide.
Penny Wong stated that Australia is working with partners to deliver much-needed assistance to Papua New Guinea, including transporting Indian supplies to the disaster zone.
