Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said he would visit Australia on a bilateral visit in November after the G-20 summit. This will be an Indian PM’s first bilateral visit to Australia since 1986, when Rajiv Gandhi went there.
The two countries have also decided to hold a bilateral maritime exercise in 2015, besides exploring the possibility of jointly commemorating the World War I. On behalf of the PM of New Zealand, Australian PM Tony Abbott also extended an invitation to attend the commemoration of the 100 year anniversary of Gallipoli in 2015.
As they committed to strengthening their defence and security partnership, the two PMs welcomed growing cooperation in defence, counter-terrorism, cyber policy, transnational crime, disarmament and non-proliferation, humanitarian assistance, disaster management and peacekeeping. They called for deepening the framework of defence and security cooperation to guide the bilateral engagement in these and other priority areas.
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“The prime ministers welcomed preparations for the inaugural bilateral maritime exercise to be held in 2015 and initiatives under way to further strengthen defence cooperation, including closer engagement and cooperation in defence science and industry,” the joint statement said.
Noting that both Australians and Indians have been victims of terrorism, the two PMs commended the work of the joint working group on Counter-Terrorism, including discussions on cyber security and the growing collaboration against the threat posed by terrorist groups. They also noted the ongoing cooperation in combating illegal migration.
The two PMs also welcomed discussions on maritime security in the ongoing disarmament and non-proliferation dialogue held at the official level.