11 April 2017

News Report: India, Australia Vow to Jointly Fight Terror, Cooperate in Aviation Security

India and Australia signed six agreements including strengthening counter-terrorism cooperation after talks between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who is on a four-day visit to India.

New Delhi (Sputnik) — Apart from counter-terrorism cooperation, the pacts signed a deal with cooperation in civil aviation security, MoU in the field of environment, climate and wildlife, cooperation in earth observation and satellite navigation.

"I am particularly pleased that we have been able to conclude a MoU on Security and Cooperation during this visit. We also agree that strong regional institutions are necessary for peace, prosperity and a sense of balance in the region," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his statement after the signing of agreements between the two countries.

Prime Minister Modi said both India and Australia will work actively to cooperate more closely with members of the East Asia Summit and the Indian Ocean Rim countries to pursue common interests.

India and Australia agreed that the bilateral maritime exercise first held in the Bay of Bengal in 2015 will be repeated off Western Australia in the first half of 2018. Further, both the Prime Ministers also underscored Australia and India's joint commitment to enhancing regional cooperation in promoting maritime security and safety.

In a rare gesture, the Indian Prime Minister took his Australian counterpart for a ride in the Delhi Metro Rail and visited the Akshardham Temple along the banks of the Yamuna river.

This story first appeared on Sputnik & is reposted here with permission.