Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles interacted with young cricket players and played ‘gully’ cricket on the premises of Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Monday. Marles was joined by 14–18-year-old cricket players on the stadium premises. The Australian leader also paid floral tribute to former Union Minister Arun Jaitley at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Richard Marles sampled street food and experienced using a digital payment interface to pay for it. Earlier today, Marles, along with Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong, visited and laid a wreath at the National War Memorial in Delhi.
The two Australian leaders will co-chair the India-Australia 2+2 dialogue with their Indian counterparts, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Marles had earlier stated, “India is a top-tier security partner for Australia, and our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is one of practical, tangible actions that directly benefit the Indo-Pacific region.”
Noting that this year has seen several firsts in the India-Australia defence relationship, including an Indian submarine visit to Perth and Australia’s hosting of Exercise Malabar, Marles added that all this demonstrates the growing closeness of both nations’ defence and security partnerships, according to the Australian Foreign Ministry.
“Our cooperation with India is at the heart of Australia’s approach to ensuring the Indo-Pacific remains open, inclusive, and resilient,” he added. Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Minister Wong emphasized that the India-Australia partnership is central to the stability and prosperity of our shared region. “Along with our deepening defence and security cooperation, Australia is committed to partnering more closely with India for the benefit of our region, in the Indian Ocean, in Southeast Asia, and in
the Pacific.
