New Delhi (NVI): India and Australia today pitched for enhanced collaboration to counter the threat of terrorism and violent extremism through increased information-sharing.
Emphasis on intelligence-sharing to fight the menace was laid at the 3rd edition of Foreign and Defence Secretaries’ Dialogue (2+2) held here.
At the meeting, the Indian side was led by Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale and Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar while the Australian delegation was headed by Frances Adamson, Secretary in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Greg Moriarty, Secretary in the Department of Defence.
The two sides welcomed the recent progress made in deepening bilateral, political, economic, security and defence cooperation, a statement issued by the External Affairs Ministry said.
Discussing recent regional and global developments, the two sides exchanged views on achieving their shared objective of peace, prosperity and progress in the Indo-Pacific region. This assumes significance against the backdrop of China’s assertiveness in South China Sea, over which it lays an absolute maritime claim.
“The 2+2 meeting provided opportunities for the two sides to review the status of their bilateral relationship in the context of emerging scenarios,” the statement said.
