India, Australia discuss maritime security, counter terrorism

NEW DELHI, India and Australia discussed on Tuesday ways to strengthen cooperation in maritime security. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement that delegation level talks were held as part of the 6th India-Australia Maritime Security Dialogue in Canberra. The discussion focused on ways to sustain a safe and secure maritime environment helpful for inclusive growth and global well being. "They exchanged views on various topics of mutual interest, including the maritime security environment in the Indo-Pacific region, maritime domain awareness, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief coordination, regional and multilateral engagements and sustainable use of marine resources," the statement said. Ways to strengthen cooperation in the fields of search and rescue, blue economy and pollution response also came up for deliberations. "They also conferred on the way ahead for collaboration in maritime ecology pillar of the Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiative," the statement added. Joint Secret ary, Disarmament and International Security Affairs at the Ministry of External Affairs Muanpuii Saiawi led the Indian side while First Assistant Secretary, South Asia and Central Asia Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Sarah Storey led Australian delegation. In another development, Indian Ministry of External Affairs said that the 14th meeting of the India-Australia Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism was held in New Delhi yesterday. They discussed global counter terrorism challenges and bilateral cooperation in ongoing counter-terrorism operations. "India and Australia strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and emphasized the need for strengthening international cooperation to combat terrorism in a comprehensive and sustained manner. They also condemned the use of terrorist proxies for cross-border terrorism," the statement from the ministry said. They shared threat posed by terrorism at the domestic, regional and global level. "They discussed counter-t errorism challenges related to the use of new and emerging technologies by terrorists, misuse of internet for terrorist purposes, radicalization and terror financing, and the nexus between organized crime and terrorism, among other issues," it added. Both the sides agreed that ongoing co-operation in counter terrorism is an key element of the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. They also discussed cooperation in regional, global and multilateral fora to combat global terrorism. Source: Kuwait News Agency