Rajnath Singh holds 'fruitful' talks with Australian counterpart, foreign minister

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said India and Australia exchanged views on Afghanistan, maritime security in Indo-Pacific, and other issues concerning multilateral cooperation.

New Delhi:Noting the various issues of importance on the bilateral and regional front, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said India and Australia exchanged views on Afghanistan, maritime security in Indo-Pacific, and other issues concerning multilateral cooperation.

"Today we held comprehensive discussions with Minister Payne and Minister Dutton over bilateral and regional issues. We also discussed different institutional frameworks for defence cooperation and cooperation in the fight against the pandemic," said Rajnath Singh while issuing a joint statement after the India-Australia 2+2 Ministerial Meeting.

"We also exchanged views on Afghanistan, maritime security in Indo-Pacific, multilateral cooperation, and other matters," he added. Defence Minister said that India and Australia share an important partnership that is entirely based on the shared vision of a free, open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.

"As two democracies, our common interest lies in the peace and prosperity of the entire region," Singh added.

This is the inaugural India-Australia 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue between the nations' foreign and defence ministers. The agenda included bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest.

Defence Minister Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Australia Defence Minister Peter Dutton participated in the meeting.

Following the Taliban's takeover of Kabul in August, the situation in Afghanistan has been dominating the international agenda, with global stakeholders trying to find ways to ensure stability in the region. (ANI)