India, Australia To Focus On Expanding Strategic Ties At 2+2 Dialogue

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh are scheduled to hold the dialogue with Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Peter Dutton, they said.

India and Australia are expected to focus extensively on further ramping up the overall defence and security ties and boost strategic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific at their inaugural two-plus-two ministerial dialogue here on September 11, people familiar with the development said on Tuesday. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh are scheduled to hold the dialogue with Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Peter Dutton, they said. As the two senior Australian ministers are visiting in the backdrop of the Taliban's capture of power in Afghanistan, the issue is likely to figure in separate meetings Jaishankar and Singh will have with their counterparts. The focus of the talks at the two-plus-two dialogue is expected to be on boosting overall cooperation in the Indo-Pacific in the face of China's growing military assertiveness in the region, the people cited above said.