Defence Minister A K Antony to arrive in Australia on maiden visit

MELBOURNE: Defence Minister A K Antony will arrive in Australia today on a maiden visit as part of his three nation tour aimed at strengthening India's defence ties with the countries in Asia Pacific region.

During his visit, Antony would meet his Australian counterpart Stephen Smith later today in Perth.

According to official sources, the two are scheduled to meet for a short duration this afternoon following Antony's arrival.

A series of meeting have also been lined up for the two leaders along with other officials of the two sides tomorrow in Canberra. Details of the meetings have not been divulged.

Antony is currently on his three-nation official visit to Singapore, Australia, and Thailand.

His visit comes days after Australian government released a defence white paper recently which noted that, "India is emerging as an important strategic, diplomatic and economic actor, 'looking east,' and becoming more engaged in regional frameworks."

During Antony's visit to Singapore, the two countries reaffirmed their strong and long-standing defence ties as they renewed a bilateral agreement for the conduct of joint army training and exercises for another five years.