The foreign secretaries of India, Australia and France co-chaired the first trilateral dialogue of senior officials on Wednesday, with a focus on enhancing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and strengthening multilateralism.
“During the dialogue, the three parties discussed the economic and geostrategic challenges and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, particularly in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and national responses to Covid-19,” said a statement from the Ministry of Foreign affairs
People familiar with the events said, on condition of anonymity, that Australia and Japan, both members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad along with India and the United States, have been pushing efforts to forge greater cooperation between countries that have interests in the Ocean. Indian and with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).
China’s aggressive actions, including the border clash with India and its military concentration in the South China Sea, have spurred these efforts, the people said. India, Australia and Indonesia will also hold two virtual meetings of their foreign and defense ministers to strengthen regional cooperation and maritime security in the Indo-Pacific in the coming weeks.
Wednesday’s virtual meeting was co-chaired by Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla, François Delattre, Secretary General of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and Frances Adamson, Secretary of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
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“The focus of the dialogue was to enhance cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region,” the statement said, adding cooperation on the “global marine commons” and also discussed potential areas for practical cooperation at the trilateral and regional level.
This included cooperation through regional organizations such as Asean, the Indian Ocean Basin Association (IORA) and the Indian Ocean Commission.
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The three parties also discussed priorities, challenges and trends in regional and global multilateral institutions, including the best ways to strengthen and reform multilateralism, according to the statement.
“The results-oriented meeting was held with the aim of leveraging the strong bilateral relations that the three countries share with each other and synergizing their respective strengths to ensure a peaceful, safe, prosperous and rules-based Indo-Pacific region.” , the statement said.
The three countries also agreed to hold the dialogue annually.
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