New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday held talks with his Australian counterpart Peter Dutton a day ahead of the inaugural '2+2 Ministerial Dialogue' between foreign and defence ministers of India and Australia.
Expanding strategic ties between two nations will be the focus of the talks between the two defence ministers, said an official shortly before their meeting. At the ministerial dialogue, the two sides are also expected to discuss ways to boost cooperation in the Indo-Pacific in the face of China's growing military assertiveness in the region, diplomatic sources said.
Both Australia and India are part of Quad or Quadrilateral coalition that resolved to work towards ensuring a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific. The other two members of the Quad are the US and Japan.
Read: Australian FM, team in India to boost bilateral ties, strategic alliance in Indo-Pacific
The sources said expanding bilateral cooperation in areas of maritime security is expected to be another area of focus.
The defence and military cooperation between India and Australia is on an upswing in the last few years.
In June last year, India and Australia elevated their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership and signed a landmark deal for reciprocal access to military bases for logistics support during an online summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison.
The Australian Navy was part of the recent Malabar naval exercise that also featured naval forces of India, the US and Japan.
PTI
