India, Australia ink 3 pacts to expand defence ties

New Delhi, Oct 9 (PTI) India and Australia on Thursday signed three key pacts including one on information sharing, to further expand their bilateral defence and military ties following "productive" talks between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Australian counterpart Richard Marles in Canberra.

Singh, currently on a two-day visit to Australia, also met Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong, broadly focusing on imparting more dynamism to the relations.

The two defence ministers affirmed the importance of enhancing cooperation with regional partners to help maintain a free, open, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific, underscoring their strong support for freedom of navigation and overflight and unimpeded trade in the region.

The resolve came against the backdrop of China's increasing military assertiveness in the strategic waters.

Besides the agreement on information sharing, the two sides firmed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will provide for cooperation on submarine search and another on establishment of a framework for joint staff talks.

The Singh-Marles meeting marked five years of the India-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership, with both sides reaffirming their shared commitment to deepening defence cooperation across a wide spectrum, including maritime security, defence industry collaboration and joint research in science and technology.

In his remarks, Singh reiterated India's stand with regards to the threat of terrorism that.

Terror and talks cannot go together, terror and trade cannot go together and water and blood cannot flow together, he said in clear reference to India's policy towards Pakistan.

The defence minister also urged the international community to come together against all forms of terrorism.

A day after the April 22 Pahalgam attack, India announced a series of punitive measures against Pakistan, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty with New Delhi asserting that "blood and water" cannot flow together.

New Delhi has been maintaining that the Indus Waters Treaty will remain in "abeyance" until Islamabad "credibly and irrevocably" abjures support to cross-border terrorism.

Singh said both sides also reaffirmed the importance of India-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership.

"I highlighted the rapid growth of India's defence industry and India's growing stature as a credible source of high-quality defence tech globally," he said.

The defence minister said both sides discussed potential for "deeper defence industry partnerships".

"I thank Australia for its steadfast support on cross-border terrorism & shared regional stability. Together, we will deepen cooperation for a free, open, and resilient Indo-Pacific," he said.

Earlier in the day, Singh was received by Assistant Minister of Defence of Australia Peter Khalil and was accorded a ceremonial "stair guard" welcome.

As part of his engagements, a live air-to-air refuelling demonstration was organised onboard the KC-30A Multirole Transport and Tanker Aircraft (MRTT), refuelling an F-35 aircraft en route to Canberra, the defence ministry said.

"It showcased a demonstration of growing interoperability following last year's implementation arrangement on air-to-air refuelling. Upon arrival at the Australian Parliament House, Singh was accorded a traditional welcome in the presence of Richard Marles," it said.

A joint statement said Singh and Marles were pleased that the India-Australia defence partnership now covers "all domains".

The two ministers also affirmed the importance of enhancing cooperation with regional partners to help maintain a free, open, peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific, it said.

Singh and Marles underscored their strong support for freedom of navigation and overflight, unimpeded trade in the region, and other lawful uses of the sea consistent with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the joint statement said.

It said the ministers were pleased with the collaborative maritime domain awareness and anti-submarine warfare activities by Australian and Indian maritime patrol aircraft in the Indian Ocean.

"They also agreed to continue aircraft deployment from each other's territories to build operational familiarity. The ministers welcomed the ongoing cooperation under the Australia-India-Indonesia trilateral format to address common challenges," it said. PTI MPB ZMN