Neither Australia nor India feels threatened if they invest economically or politically in their neighbourhood. Modi visited Fiji in 2014 and was the first Indian prime minister to visit a South Pacific country in 33 years. It was there that he laid the foundation for the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Co-operation (FIPIC). India committed $1 million to support climate change at the India-Pacific Islands Sustainable Development Conference in 2017. It has also signed a number of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Fiji, which extend a line of credit for the establishment of a cogeneration facility and cooperation in the field of diplomatic training. In the midst of all these commitments, Australia has not expressed any disapproval of India`s presence in the Pacific region. Similarly, Australia`s AUD 25 million UAD programme to support regional connectivity in South Asia under the name of the South Asia Regional Infrastructure Connectivity Initiative (SARIC) in India was well received. As China challenges Canberra and New Delhi in their traditional regions, the two nations have found reliable partners in the other. [20] Suhasini Haidar, “India should ensure Industry`s support to RCEP deal: Australian envoy,” The Hindu, July 29, 2019. [30] Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury, “Australia moots logistics support agreement with India to widen defence partnership in Indo-Pacific region,” The Economic Times, June 12, 2019. India and Russia are expected to visit Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Moscow from June 5-7. November reaching a mutual logistics agreement and reviewing the creation of joint ventures for the manufacture of spare parts for Russian defense platforms in India, official sources said.

The MLSA is a bilateral agreement between countries that allows reciprocal access to military facilities in terms of logistical support, which typically include food, water, oil (fuel), spare parts and other components. The agreement will be useful for joint military exercises, peacekeeping operations, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, operations planned by military platforms and any other necessary situations that may arise. It will contribute to improving interoperability between the parties concerned. For Main: meaning and implications of the agreement. As the Indo-Pacific region becomes an arena of strategic conflict, the interests of India and Australia are getting closer. Two large maritime states from two different continents, India and Australia, have long been indifferent to one another. Today, however, their relations are optimistic: not only is their bilateral trade on the rise, but they also share common concerns about balancing a confident China and maintaining order in the region. By the end of the year, India and Australia are expected to conclude negotiations for a mutual logistics support agreement (MLSA). This letter places the MLSA in the growing bilateral relationship, analyzes the points of convergence between the two countries and examines the main obstacles on the way.

In his speech, Morisson also stressed the need for a reciprocal logistical support agreement. India has only slowly followed the negotiations with Australia on the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECAF); India is also not very concerned about the negotiations on the regional comprehensive economic partnership [c]. The report “An Indian Economic Strategy to 2035”, commissioned by the Australian government in 2018, states that India and Australia are “too far apart” to conclude the CACE in the near future and should instead focus on concluding the RCEP before returning to bilateral trade negotiations. [18] However, India is reluctant to negotiate an agreement on RCEP, fearing the negative effects of cheap Chinese imports on the country`s domestic industry. . . .