June 21, 2024
NEW DELHI – Amidst China’s aggressive posturing on maritime issues, India, Australia and France reaffirmed their commitment to advancing their shared values and working together towards a free, open, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific.
The third India-France-Australia Trilateral Focal Points Meeting was held on Wednesday. The Indian side was led by Mr Piyush Srivastava, Joint Secretary (Europe West) and Ms. Paramita Tripathi, Joint Secretary (Oceania and Indo-Pacific), while the French side was led by Benoît Guidée, Director (Asia and Oceania), Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and the Australian side by Ms Sarah Storey, First Assistant Secretary, South and Central Asia Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The three sides reviewed the progress made under the three pillars of trilateral cooperation: maritime safety and security, marine and environmental cooperation, and multilateral engagement.
They identified new proposals for furthering the trilateral cooperation, including under the framework of the Indo Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) mechanisms, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) cooperation, and multilateral engagements, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday.