India-Australia 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue to be held on Nov 20

New Delhi, Nov 18 (IANS) Australian Deputy Prime Minister & Minister for Defence Richard Marles will visit India from November 19 to 20 to co-chair the second India-Australia 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue with Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

A bilateral meeting on defence cooperation will be held between Marles and Rajnath Singh on November 20 which will be followed by the 2+2 Dialogue, the Defence Ministry said on Saturday.

The 2+2 Dialogue will be co-chaired by Rajnath Singh and Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar along with their Australian counterparts Marles and Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong, respectively.

India and Australia are pursuing a comprehensive strategic partnership and the visit of Marles is expected to give further impetus to the collaboration as well as bilateral defence cooperation.

The two countries are expected to discuss wide-ranging issues of mutual interest during the 2+2 Dialogue and the bilateral Defence Ministers' meeting.

During his visit, Marles will also attend the Cricket World Cup final between India and Australia in Ahmedabad on November 19.