India and Australia will commit to an “enhanced strategic partnership” when Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets his Australian counterpart Tony Abbott in Canberra on Tuesday.
Sources told The Hindu that the two sides will announce an “action plan” for cooperation in defence and other areas.
This will include exercises between armies, navies and air forces, as well as counter-terrorism, maritime security, non-proliferation and cyber security. The joint maritime exercises will be kicked off in early 2015. In other exercises, an Australian Coast Guard ship is expected in Indian waters next month, said sources.
In a first, India and Australia will also set up a mechanism to discuss “synergies in integrating defence system”, including research and development cooperation on integrating defence equipment that both countries currently purchase, for example, U.S’s C-17 Globemaster III, according to officials.
The new strategic framework will be discussed in addition to five other agreements expected to be signed when the two Prime Ministers meet.
* This report has been corrected for a factual error
