Inaugural 2+2 ministerial dialogue: India, Australia stress on combating terrorism without compromise

India and Australia laid out an ambitious framework for defence partnership on Saturday, with Afghanistan forming a major subject of talks at their maiden 2+2 Ministerial dialogue.

The two countries also discussed cooperation in multilateral formats, along with a need to strengthen maritime security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

During the inaugural ‘two-plus-two’ talks featuring external affairs minister S Jaishankar and defence minister Rajnath Singh with their Australian counterparts Marise Payne and Peter Dutton, respectively, the two countries also discussed the significant challenges facing the Indo-Pacific and on collaboration in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic in future.


Acknowledging that terrorism was a major threat to both sides, Dutton told a joint media meet after the talks that the “Australia-India defence relationship is at a historic high.”

With the discussions being held on the anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks on the United States, Jaishankar added, “Today is the 20th anniversary of 9/11, it is a reminder of the importance of combating terrorism without compromise. Close as we are to its epicentre, let us appreciate the value of international cooperation to that end.”

India and Australia share an important partnership that is based on a shared vision of a free, open, inclusive, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. "As two democracies we have a common interest in peace and prosperity of the entire region," Singh said.

“We have discussed various institutional frameworks for wide-ranging collaboration including defence cooperation and the fight against the global pandemic. We exchanged views on Afghanistan, maritime security in the Indo-Pacific, cooperation in multilateral formats, and other related topics,” he added.