India, Australia deepen defence ties amid Indo-Pacific focus during Richard Marles’ visit

Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles is in India today as part of his four-nation trip to South and Southeast Asia. He will be in India till June 5. The trip coincides with the fifth anniversary of India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, a part of the bilateral relationship between the two nations with a shared agenda of security, and stability in the Indian Ocean Region.

Marles retained his office following the Australian Labour Party's recent victory in the 2025 parliamentary election. This is the first visit by a senior Australian minister since then. He met in New Delhi with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to discuss the strategic partnership between India and Australia.

Rajanth Singh thanked Marles for the continued support of Australia even during the turbulent period of the India-Pakistan conflict that followed after Pahalgham attack. He reiterated both nations' commitment to enhance collaboration in defence technology, joint exercises, joint research and development, maritime security and surveillance.

"It was heartening to note the significant milestones achieved in our bilateral defence relations since our last meeting. I hoped that in the coming years we would work with renewed momentum, effectively contributing to the growth of bilateral defence relations... Largely due to your commitment and leadership in strengthening India-Australia defence and security cooperation, in the past three years, bilateral defence cooperation has emerged as an important pillar of our comprehensive strategic partnership. I looked forward to a productive discussion today and hoped it would lay a firm ground for further cementing the India and Australia defence ties. This meeting was happening at a time when India was facing extreme challenges at our western border. We had taken steps in response to the barbaric incident in Kashmir. We thanked Australia for its support on this issue. We would be talking more about this later in the meeting," said Rajnath Singh.

Marles, in response, expressed solidarity and showed Australia's commitment to working closely with India in fighting terrorism.

"The opportunity to work closely with you again over the next three years was really exciting. I had deeply appreciated our relationship over the last three years and the progress that we had made. I wanted to pass on our Prime Minister's condolences to India for all the lives lost in the Pahalgam terrorist attack. Our thoughts and our prayers were with the families of those who were killed in the appalling terrorist attack. We wanted to make clear that Australia stood with India and all countries in combating terrorism. We acknowledged and welcomed the stoppage in military activity. We saw this as an act of Indian leadership. But we would continue to work with India as we combat terrorism in all its forms," said Marles.

Notably, Richard Marles' visit builds upon previous agreements, such as the 2022 Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), with ongoing negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA).

Richard Marles is on a four-nation trip to Maldives, Sri Lanka, India and Indonesia, reflecting Australia's commitment to building stronger regional partnerships in the Indo-Pacific.