Rajnath Singh To Visit Australia On October 9-10, A First By Defence Minister Since 2014

Last Updated:October 06, 2025, 17:39 IST

The visit comes at a historic moment when India and Australia commemorate five years of the establishment of the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

Rajnath Singh will leave for Australia on October 7. (File)

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will undertake a two-day official visit to Australia on October 9-10. This will be the first-ever visit of an Indian Defence Minister to Australia since PM Narendra Modi’s government came to power in 2014.

The visit comes at a historic moment when India and Australia commemorate five years of the establishment of the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Singh is leaving for Australia on October 7.

The visit is at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister of Australia, Richard Marles. Three agreements are likely to be signed that will further enhance cooperation in the areas of information sharing, the maritime domain, and joint activities. India and Australia elevated their bilateral relationship from a Strategic Partnership in 2009 to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) in 2020.

Australia fits into PM Narendra Modi’s strategic vision for the Indo-Pacific region and the Global South. In this backdrop, Singh will hold bilateral discussions with his Australian counterpart. He will chair a business roundtable in Sydney, which will be attended by industry leaders from both sides.

The visit will provide an important opportunity for both sides to explore new and meaningful initiatives to further strengthen the bilateral relationship and the defence partnership.

The visit assumes significance in the current geopolitical scenario where Australia has emerged as an important strategic partner. Both India and the world had seen the class of the Australian navy, and India wants to enhance naval cooperation with them.

Added to this, Australia is also a member of Quad, a group formed to counter Chinese influence in the Pacific region. With yet another round of Quad meetings set to be held by the end of this year, India seeks to strengthen cooperation with a powerhouse in the deep South to counter China as well.

The two nations share a deep bond rooted in common values: pluralistic, Westminster-style democracies, Commonwealth traditions, growing economic engagement, and increasing high-level interactions.

Long-standing people-to-people connections, the presence of Indian students in Australian universities, as well as tourism and sporting ties, have further strengthened the enduring partnership between the two countries.

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