India and Australia released a Joint Declaration on Defence and Security Cooperation on Thursday, laying special emphasis on “open, peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific”.
1. The two countries reaffirmed the vitality of their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), established in 2020.
“Since the launch of our CSP, our strategic convergence has accelerated, our economic ties have deepened, and the connections between our peoples – the living bridge between our nations – have grown stronger,” it read.
People also ask
AI powered insights from this story
The key points include reaffirming the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, emphasizing a stable Indo-Pacific, enhancing defence cooperation, and addressing regional security challenges.
The partnership is vital for promoting a peaceful, rules-based Indo-Pacific, addressing threats to regional stability, and enhancing economic cooperation in the face of global uncertainties.
India and Australia will enhance maritime security through a collaborative roadmap, increasing the complexity of defence exercises, and boosting information sharing to address challenges in the maritime domain.
They are committing to increasing information sharing on regional terrorist threats and enhancing collaboration to combat violent extremism across sectors like technology and critical infrastructure.
The ECTA has reduced tariffs, facilitating faster trade between India and Australia, which has significantly boosted exports from India to Australia since its implementation.
2. In their declaration, India and Australia raised concern over “geostrategic uncertainty, and threats to regional peace and stability.”
They encouraged all parties to work together peacefully and called for resolving disputes without the threat or use of force or coercion, in accordance with international law.
3. India and Australia also reaffirmed “unwavering commitment to an open, peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region underpinned by: a rules-based architecture based on adherence to international law; respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity; an open, stable and secure maritime domain underpinned by adherence to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) including freedom of navigation and overflight; and effective, inclusive and transparent institutions.”
4. The declaration further read, “We reaffirm our support for the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), ASEAN and ASEAN-centred regional architecture, and the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) as the premier forums for addressing challenges in these regions.”
5. The declaration says that India and Australia recognise that their “partnership must evolve to meet changing strategic circumstances, and commit to an acceleration in our advanced, integrated, and top-tier defence and security partnership.”
“We will continue to strengthen strategic exchanges and conduct regular ministerial engagement that reflects the convergence of our strategic interests. We recognise a long-term vision of defence and security collaboration to enhance collective strength,” the declaration read.
“This collaboration will contribute to both countries’ security and make an important contribution to regional peace and security,” it added.
6. The India-Australia joint declaration said, “We commit to strengthening our comprehensive defence cooperation, deepening strategic dialogue and intensifying cooperation, including by:
a. undertaking to consult on defence-related developments in the Indo-Pacific that affect shared interests;
b. increasing the complexity of our defence exercises, including with partners;
c. accelerating efforts to build interoperability and information sharing between defence forces;
d. expanding aircraft deployments from each other’s territories;
e. deepening connections between defence force personnel, including through exchanges, education and training, and liaison roles; and
f. exploring opportunities to cooperate in recruiting for skilled defence workforces.
7. “We recognise the centrality of the maritime domain to our defence, security and economic interests, and will increase the depth, sophistication and regularity of maritime security cooperation. We will strengthen maritime cooperation through an India-Australia Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap,” the declaration read.
8. “We will deepen collaboration between our defence innovation ecosystems and develop arrangements for advanced defence science and technology collaboration,” the declaration read.
10. India and Australia said they will work to promote the meaningful participation and leadership of women in the prevention of conflicts, the delivery of relief and recovery efforts, and the forging of lasting peace, affirming our commitment to uphold gender equality in peacekeeping operations and to advance the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
9. “We commit to cooperating bilaterally, and with partners, to support regional economic prosperity and resilience. We will develop more diverse and resilient supply chains, critical infrastructure and connectivity, including for critical minerals and clean energy technologies,” the declaration stated.
10. “We will work together to help shape a technology environment that meets our shared vision for a secure and resilient Indo-Pacific,” It said.
“We will work together to harness the potential of our cyber-security and critical and emerging technology cooperation and information sharing mechanisms under the Australia-India Partnership on Cyber, Critical Technologies and Supply Chains (Australia-India PACTS), and bolster cooperation on strategic technologies,” the declaration said.
11. India and Australia said they commit to increasing information sharing on terrorist threats in our region, including entities and individuals, and exploring opportunities for enhanced collaboration to counter violent extremism and terrorism in sectors, including:
a. new and emerging technology;
b. financing of terrorism;
c. critical infrastructure and crowded spaces;
d. the maritime domain; and
e. online radicalisation.
12. The declaration said, “We will continue our cooperation under the Migration and Mobility Partnership Arrangement, signed in 2023, which outlines ways to cooperate on the prevention of irregular migration, people smuggling, and trafficking in human beings. We will also continue our cooperation to combat transnational organised crime.”
13. “We seek a peaceful world free of nuclear weapons, and to this end reiterate our commitment to non-proliferation and global, complete, non-discriminatory and verifiable nuclear disarmament.
We commit to continued cooperation with other Indo-Pacific partners, including through trilateral mechanisms and deeper engagement through the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative. We will expand our cooperation with the United States of America and Japan to build capability and cooperation towards our positive vision for an open, stable, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.
We commit to deepen collaboration in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) to offer rapid, coordinated and sustainable disaster response, recognising our shared commitment to regional peace, security, prosperity and resilience. We will strengthen cooperation, including through:
a. information sharing and expert exchanges; and
b. joint HADR exercises, including the Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network, which supports civilian response to large-scale natural disasters.
“We commit to exploring opportunities for sharing of contingency planning, joint response and coordination during disasters and crises, including to support regional and global evacuation operations in third countries,” India and Australia’s joint declaration said.
“In the spirit of our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, we commit fully to implementing this ambitious agenda to support a peaceful and stable Indo-Pacific region,” it added.
