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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will undertake a two-day official visit to Australia on October 9-10 at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister of Australia Richard Marles, the Ministry of Defence said in an official statement.
The visit comes at a historic moment when India and Australia commemorate five years of the establishment of the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP). This will also mark the first-ever visit of a Defence Minister to Australia under this government since 2014. The key highlight of the Defence Minister's visit will be the bilateral discussions with his Australian counterpart. He will chair a business roundtable in Sydney, which will be attended by industry leaders from both sides. He will also call on other national leaders of Australia. The visit will provide an important opportunity for both sides to explore new & meaningful initiatives to further strengthen the bilateral relationship and the defence partnership. During the visit, three agreements are planned to be signed, which will further enhance cooperation in the areas of information sharing, the maritime domain, and joint activities. Defence engagements have expanded over time to include wide-ranging interactions between the services, military-to-military exchanges, high-level visits, capacity-building and training programmes, cooperation in the maritime domain, ship visits, and bilateral exercises. India and Australia elevated their bilateral relationship from a Strategic Partnership in 2009 to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) in 2020. The two nations share a deep bond rooted in common values - pluralistic, Westminster-style democracies, Commonwealth traditions, growing economic engagement, and increasing high-level interactions, the statement added. Long-standing people-to-people connections and the presence of Indian students in Australian universities, as well as robust tourism and sporting ties, have further strengthened the enduring partnership between the two countries. Marles last visited India in June and met his counterpart, Rajnath Singh, and also called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (ANI)
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