India and Australia today signed a new Joint Declaration on Defence and Security Cooperation to secure peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific region. Both countries also adopted Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap to promote a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
Both sides finalized the administrative arrangement for the long-term supply of Australian uranium to India. The agreements were signed following delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese during the third Australia-India Annual Leaders’ Summit in Melbourne.
In a joint press statement after the talks, Prime Minister Modi said that the Indo-Pacific is not just a meeting point of two oceans but showcases the shared aspirations of like-minded democracies like India and Australia.
Later briefing the media, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said the discussions between Prime Minister Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese reflected the growing strategic partnership and close understanding between the two leaders.
On the economic front, following a high-powered India-Australia CEOs Forum, both leaders fast-tracked negotiations for the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) to fully build upon the 55 percent surge in two-way trade delivered by the 2022 ECTA pact. Emerging horizons also took center stage, with the operationalization of the Australia-India Partnership for Cyber Critical Technologies and Supply Chains (AI PACTS) and extended Australian support for India’s historic Gaganyaan human spaceflight program.
Addressing evolving regional dynamics, the two maritime powers adopted a historic Joint Declaration on Defense and Security Cooperation alongside a unified Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific. The leaders strongly reaffirmed their shared commitment to the Quad as a vital mechanism for counterterrorism and disaster relief, while Prime Minister Modi expressed India’s firm stance on sustained peace in West Asia.
