India, France, Australia hold dialogue to enhance cooperation in Indo-Pacific Region

The foreign secretaries of India, France and Australia co-chaired a first trilateral dialogue on Wednesday with an objective to "synergising their respective strengths to ensure a peaceful, secure, prosperous and rules-based" Indo-Pacific Region.

The foreign secretaries of India, France and Australia co-chaired a first trilateral dialogue on Wednesday with an objective to "synergising their respective strengths to ensure a peaceful, secure, prosperous and rules-based" Indo-Pacific Region. The virtual meeting was chaired by Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla; Secretary-General of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Francois Delattre; Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Secretary, Frances Adamson, according to a statement by Ministry of External Affairs.

The focus of the dialogue was on enhancing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific Region, the ministry said."The outcome-oriented meeting was held with the objective of building on the strong bilateral relations that the three countries share with each other and synergising their respective strengths to ensure a peaceful, secure, prosperous and rules-based Indo-Pacific Region. The three sides agreed to hold the dialogue on an annual basis," the statement read. During the dialogue, the three sides discussed economic and geostrategic challenges and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and domestic responses to COVID-19.

Cooperation on Marine Global Commons and potential areas for practical cooperation at the trilateral and regional level were also discussed, including through regional organisations such as The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and the Indian Ocean Commission, the statement read. The three countries also had an exchange on the priorities, challenges and trends in regional and global multilateral institutions, including the best ways to strengthen and reform multilateralism. (ANI)