Australian foreign, defence ministers to reach tomorrow for 2+2 ministerial talk

The ‘2+2’ ministerial dialogue between India and Australia would focus on boosting defence and security ties and strengthening strategic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

Australian foreign minister Marise Payne and defence minister Peter Dutton is scheduled to arrive in India on Fri to hold ‘2+2’ ministerial dialogue with external affairs minister S Jaishankar and Union minister for defence Rajnath Singh.

India and Australia are part of the strategic Quad group, also comprising the United States and Japan, that aims to address China's aggressive moves in the Indo-Pacific region.  (File photo/ANI)

The meeting between the ministers of both the nation, scheduled on Saturday, is aimed at boosting bilateral defence ties and strategic cooperation in the Ind-Pacific region, in the wake of China's growing aggressiveness.

India and Australia are part of the strategic Quadrilateral Security Dialogue group, or the Quad, as it is colloquially called, along with the United States and Japan. Its first inklings go back to 2007 but a recent resurgence is largely seen as an initiative to post-pandemic recovery and maritime security across the Indo-Pacific.

The heads of the member states of Quad group are scheduled to meet in the at Washington, DC on September 23 ahead of the UN General Assembly.

The ‘2+2’ ministerial dialogue, people familiar with diplomatic parlays said, will focus on cooperation in areas of maritime security.

India and Australia have been partnering with each other on ramping up strategic ties over the past few years. The navies of India and Australia recently took part in the Malabar exercises that also featured the US and Japan.