Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles to visit India for defense talks

In a statement, the Australian government said that during their visit to India, Mr Marles and Rajnath Singh are expected to review bilateral defense cooperation. File | Photo credit: The Hindu

Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles will visit India next week to hold talks with Defense Minister Rajnath Singh as part of the 2nd Australia-India Defense Ministers’ Dialogue.

The visit comes after Mr Marles attends the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, one of the Indo-Pacific region’s leading defense and security forums organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).

In a statement, the Australian government said that during their visit to India, Mr Marles and Rajnath Singh are expected to review bilateral defense cooperation and discuss ways to further strengthen strategic and military ties between the two countries. The dialogue follows the first edition held in Australia last October and reflects the growing momentum of the India-Australia defense partnership.

Ahead of the visit, Mr Marles said: “In a deteriorating strategic environment, the Shangri-La Dialogue provides an important forum for engaging partners on common challenges.

“We remain committed to deepening diplomatic and defense ties to strengthen cooperation, particularly in the Indo-Pacific.”

He further said, “Australia and India are major security partners. I look forward to meeting Defense Minister Rajnath Singh to further strengthen our defense partnership following the significant progress we made during his visit to Australia last year.”

At the Shangri-La Dialogue, Mr. Marles will also address regional maritime security issues during a plenary session on Asia’s maritime security challenges and hold meetings with several global and regional defense leaders.

Published – 28 May 2026 22:46 IST