From the Indian side, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will lead the delegation which will comprise officials from the Ministries of Defence and External Affairs…reports Asian Lite News.
India will be hosting the inaugural India-Australia 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in New Delhi on September 11.
The agenda for the Dialogue will cover a range of bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest, said the Ministry of External Affairs in a statement on Thursday.
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Peter Dutton will visit India on September 10-12 for the Dialogue.
From the Indian side, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will lead the delegation which will comprise officials from the Ministries of Defence and External Affairs.
The inaugural 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue is being held pursuant to the elevation of India-Australia bilateral relations to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during the India-Australia Leaders’ Virtual Summit on June 4 last year.
Then, Australia and India decided to upgrade their Secretaries 2+2 dialogue (Defence and Foreign Affairs) to the Ministerial level.
At their first ever virtual summit on June 4 last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison had affirmed their commitment to strengthen India-Australia ties for a long term. They had expressed their desire to elevate bilateral strategic partnership to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
In the joint statement issued by the two countries, the desire for Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and Australia was described as one based on mutual understanding, trust, common interests and the shared values of democracy and rule of law.
“It reflects India and Australia’s strong commitment to practical global cooperation to address major challenges like COVID-19. It is in line with India’s increasing engagement in the Indo-Pacific region through its Indo-Pacific vision and Australia’s Indo-Pacific approach and its Pacific Step-Up for the South Pacific. Both countries share the vision of an open, free, rules-based Indo-Pacific region supported by inclusive global and regional institutions that promote prosperous, stable and sovereign states on the basis of shared interests,” the joint-statement said. (India News Network)
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