Indo-Pacific represents shared aspirations of India, Australia: Modi

Canberra: Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Anthony Albanese outlined the future of India-Australia strategic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, focusing on increasing military interoperability, enhancing naval cooperation, expanding shipbuilding partnerships, and collaborating on critical and emerging technologies.

During a media briefing with Albanese, Modi said the Indo-Pacific is not just a meeting point of two oceans, but also represents the shared aspirations of like-minded democracies such as India and Australia.

“To increase cooperation in the area of security, we have signed a joint declaration. With the India-Australia Defence Innovation Corridor, we will work to connect defense start-ups and industries. We will also work on shipbuilding, repair and maintenance,” Modi said.

In the India-Australia Joint Declaration on Defence and Security Cooperation, Modi and Albanese committed to an open, peaceful, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific underpinned by a rules-based architecture.

Modi and Albanese said the Indo-Pacific must be governed by international law, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and 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.

The two nations also agreed to enhance information sharing on regional terrorist threats, including terrorist entities and individuals, while exploring greater cooperation to combat violent extremism and terrorism across emerging technologies, terror financing, critical infrastructure, crowded spaces, the maritime domain, and online radicalization.

Both nations reaffirmed their shared vision of a peaceful world free of nuclear weapons while reiterating their commitment to non-proliferation and achieving global, complete, non-discriminatory and verifiable nuclear disarmament.