Sydney, Oct 8 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Sydney on Wednesday for a two-day official visit to Australia with the Indian High Commissioner to Australia Gopal Baglay receiving him in Sydney.
Singh is on a visit to Australia at the invitation of Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles.
The visit comes at a historic moment when India and Australia commemorate five years of establishment of India Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP). It also marks the first-ever visit of a Defence Minister to Australia under the current government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, since 2014.
"Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh reaches Sydney on an official visit to Australia. He was received by the Indian High Commissioner to Australia Shri Gopal Baglay," Defence Minister's Office wrote in a post on X.
During the visit, Singh will hold bilateral talks with his Australian counterpart and also chair a business roundtable in Sydney, which will be attended by industry leaders from both sides. He is scheduled to meet other national leaders of Australia.
Prior to his departure, Rajnath Singh in a post on X wrote, "At the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and the Defence Minister Richard Marles, I am visiting Australia to continue our dialogue, and exchange views on areas of mutual interest. Also looking forward to call on the other national leaders of Australia and explore ideas for cooperation between both the countries. This visit comes at historic moment when India and Australia commemorate 5 years of establishment of India Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP). Looking forward to further deepen our partnership."
In a statement, the Ministry of Defence highlighted that the visit will provide an important opportunity for both sides to explore new and meaningful initiatives to further strengthen the bilateral relationship and the defence partnership. "During the visit, three agreements are planned to be signed, which will further enhance cooperation in the areas of information sharing, the maritime domain, and joint activities," read a statement issued by the Ministry of Defence.
Defence engagements between India and Australia have expanded over time, which include wide-ranging interactions between the services, military-to-military exchanges, high-level visits, capacity-building and training programmes, cooperation in the maritime domain, ship visits, and bilateral exercises.
"India and Australia elevated their bilateral relationship from a Strategic Partnership in 2009 to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) in 2020. The two nations share a deep bond rooted in common values- pluralistic, Westminster-style democracies, Commonwealth traditions, growing economic engagement, and increasing high-level interactions. Long-standing people-to-people connections, the presence of Indian students in Australian universities as well as robust tourism and sporting ties, have further strengthened the enduring partnership between the two countries," the ministry statement added.
Richard Marles visited India in June this year during which he held a bilateral meeting with Defence Minister Singh in New Delhi. Both ministers had strongly condemned the terror attack in Pahalgam and expressed deepest condolences to the families of the victims. Singh had highlighted India's right to respond in self-defence against cross-border terrorism and described New Delhi's actions against Pakistan as measured, non-escalatory, proportionate and responsible. The two sides agreed to work together to combat terrorism in all its forms.
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