India and Australia today discussed a new roadmap for mutual maritime security collaboration aimed at deepening cooperation to ensure a “free, open and resilient Indo-Pacific”.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who is on a two-day visit to Australia (October 9-10), held a bilateral meeting with Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles in Canberra.

A joint statement issued after the meeting said, “The ministers affirmed the importance of maintaining a free, open, peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific.”

The statement added that both sides reaffirmed strong support for freedom of navigation and overflight, unimpeded trade and other lawful uses of the sea in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the

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