India and Australia are set to engage in their second two-plus-two Defence and Foreign Ministerial Dialogue in New Delhi next week, as announced by the Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday.
The upcoming dialogue will feature the participation of India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, alongside Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong on November 20, 2023.
Anticipated to cover a diverse range of strategic, defence, and security issues, the discussions during the second 2+2 Dialogue will span bilateral, regional, and global topics of shared interest. The aim is to further enhance cooperation within the framework of the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, according to the MEA statement.
Both nations will also share perspectives on common priorities for reinforcing cooperation within mini-lateral and multilateral frameworks.
The two-plus-two Dialogue underscores the commitment to building a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and Australia, with a particular focus on advancing bilateral defence cooperation. The forthcoming dialogue and the accompanying bilateral Defence Ministers’ meeting will provide platforms for in-depth discussions on a broad spectrum of mutual interests, reinforcing the strategic bonds between the two countries.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is slated to hold a bilateral meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles, who previously visited India in June 2022 shortly after assuming his current office, according to the MEA.
As part of his visit, Australian Defence Minister Marles will also attend the Cricket World Cup Final between India and Australia in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, on November 19, as announced by the Ministry of Defence.
On November 21, 2023, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Australian Foreign Minister Wong will convene the 14th Foreign Ministerial Framework Dialogue (FMFD) to assess the progress of cooperation under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, the Ministry maintained.
The inaugural India-Australia 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue took place on September 11, 2021, in New Delhi, following the elevation of the Strategic Partnership to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during the first Virtual Summit held on June 4, 2020.
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