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India, Australia establish security cooperation

by IBNS 18 Nov 2014, 11:49 am

Canberra, Nov 18 (IBNS) Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Tony Abbott on Tuesday decided to establish a framework for security cooperation and reaffirmed that the Strategic Partnership between the two nations is based on converging political, economic and strategic interests as they pledged to combat terrorism and forge defence ties.

While Modi is now touring Australia, the two met and expressed a shared desire to promote regional and global peace, security and prosperity; and a commitment to democracy, freedom, human rights, and the rule of law.

They have decided to establish a Framework for Security Cooperation to reflect the deepening and expanding security and defence engagement between India and Australia, and to intensify cooperation and consultation between Australia and India in areas of mutual interest. The Framework will be implemented in accordance with the Action Plan below:

Action Plan

1. Annual Summit and Foreign Policy Exchanges and Coordination

a. Annual meeting of Prime Ministers, including in the margins of multilateral meetings
b. Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue
c. Senior Officials’ Talks led by India’s Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs and the Secretary of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
d. East Asia Talks between External/Foreign Affairs senior officials
e. 1.5 Track Australia-India Dialogue

2. Defence policy planning and coordination

a. Regular Defence Ministers’ Meeting
b. Annual Defence Policy Talks
c. Annual 1.5 Track Defence Strategic Dialogue
d. Service to service engagement including regular high-level visits, annual staff talks, joint training and regular exercises as agreed
e. Regular bilateral maritime exercises
f. Explore defence research and development cooperation, including through visits by Australian and Indian defence material delegations and efforts to foster joint industry links

3. Counter-terrorism and other Transnational Crimes

a. Annual Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism and other Transnational Crimes
b. Cooperation in CT training and exchanges between experts on countering improvised explosive devices, bomb incidents and technologies
c. Exchanges on counter-radicalisation
d. Cooperation between police on investigation of transnational crime
e. Cooperation on extradition and mutual legal assistance requests
f. Cooperation between AUSTRAC and Financial Intelligence Unit-India
g. Exchanges on cyber policy and cooperation between CERT India and CERT Australia
h. Cooperation on combating illegal migration

4. Border Protection, Coast Guard, and Customs

a. Annual meetings of the Joint Working Group on Visas, Passports and Consular Matters
b. Exchanges and cooperation between the Indian Coast Guard and Australian border protection authorities
c. Cooperation between Customs authorities, including training

5. Disarmament, Non-proliferation, Civil Nuclear Energy and Maritime Security

a. Annual bilateral dialogue on Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and International Security, including maritime security
b. Australian support for Indian membership of the export control regimes
c. Early operationalization of civil nuclear energy cooperation and Australia’s support for strengthening India’s energy security by supply of uranium for India’s safeguarded nuclear reactors
d. Cooperation between agencies engaged on international search and rescue, including through information exchange and regional dialogue
e. Cooperation on these issues in relevant international fora, including the Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum

6. Disaster management and peacekeeping

a. Exchange on approaches to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief
b. Collaboration in the East Asia Summit on disaster management
c. Cooperation and exchanges on peacekeeping issues, including between peacekeeping institutions

7. Cooperation in Regional and Multilateral Fora

a. Close cooperation in regional and multilateral fora, including the East Asia Summit, ASEAN Regional Forum, ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus, the Indian Ocean Rim Association, Indian Ocean Naval Symposium, the UN and its specialised agencies, and the G20
b. Support for India’s bid to be a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council

Implementation

Progress under the Action Plan will be reviewed through established institutional arrangements, including the Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue and the Defence Ministers’ Meeting.