India, France and Australia to hold trilateral talks

The foreign ministers of India, France and Australia are expected to hold a trilateral meeting on April 13 with a focus on boosting cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, people familiar with the development said on Friday.

The meeting is set to focus on exploring practical cooperation in other crucial areas such as dealing with the adverse impact of the coronavirus pandemic, they added.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and her French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian are scheduled to visit India around April 12 to attend the Raisina Dialogue.


India and Australia are part of the Quad or the Quadrilateral coalition, which is aimed at ensuring a free and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.

The other two members of the Quad are Japan and the US.

The India-France-Australia trilateral will also discuss a range of areas for practical cooperation, said one of the people cited above.