Australia and India upgraded the bilateral relationship from a Strategic Partnership in 2009 to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2020. Over the years, an array of institutional mechanisms has been put in place to promote bilateral cooperation.The Indian Navy said, “India and Australia share commonality of perspective on several contemporary maritime security issues in the Indo-Pacific and have been working together closely in several bilateral and multilateral fora such as Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS), ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM Plus) and QUAD.” Coming on the heels of the successful participation of Royal Australian Ship HMNAS Warramunga, Anzac Class Frigate, during multinational exercise Milan 24 and recently conducted maritime exercises, the visit by the Chief of Royal Australian Navy further consolidates the strong and long lasting bilateral relations between both navies.As reported earlier by , Air Marshal Robert Chipman, the Australian Air Chief, was in India in February. The Air Marshal’s visit was also significant as he visited as the representative of all Australian defence forces.He met the Indian service chiefs, higher officials of the defence ministry and participated in “closed door” meetings to discuss important bilateral issues.
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