India, Australia intensifying maritime cooperation in Indian Ocean region
Aug 13, 2024
New Delhi [India], August 13 : Australia and India are intensifying their maritime cooperation in the Indian Ocean region, Australia's envoy to India Philip Green said the day the 6th Australia-India Maritime Dialogue was held in Canberra.
The Australian envoy, taking to X, said this Dialogue will present an opportunity for its foreign and defence ministry to discuss the shared priorities.
The 6th India-Australia Maritime Security Dialogue was held today in Canberra.
The Indian delegation was led by Muanpuii Saiawi, Joint Secretary, Disarmament and International Security Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs and the Australian delegation was led by Sarah Storey, First Assistant Secretary, South Asia and Central Asia Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Bernard Philip, First Assistant Secretary, International Policy, Department of Defence.
As per a Ministry of External Affairs statement, the two sides conferred on ways to sustain a safe and secure maritime environment conducive for inclusive growth and global well-being.
They exchanged views on various topics of mutual interest, including the maritime security environment in the Indo-Pacific region, maritime domain awareness, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) coordination, regional and multilateral engagements and sustainable use of marine resources.
This included cooperation in Search and Rescue (SAR), pollution response, blue economy and Port State control. They discussed ways and means of further strengthening their bilateral cooperation in these areas. They also conferred on the way ahead for collaboration in the maritime ecology pillar of the Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiative (IPOI).
During today's dialogue, it was agreed to hold the next round of the dialogue on a mutually convenient date in New Delhi.
