Canberra [Australia], October 9 (ANI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday paid homage at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, honouring the memory of Indian soldiers who fought valiantly alongside their Australian counterparts in distant lands.

https://x.com/rajnathsingh/status/1976226629853839668?t=foTBXVp9HV3tqdtV2leT5g&s=08

Posting on X photographs of his visit to the war memorial here, the defence minister said, 'Paid homage at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, a place that stands as a tribute to the courage and sacrifice in defence of the values of freedom and democracy that our two countries cherish.'

'Honoured the memory of Indian soldiers who fought valiantly in distant lands with their Australian mates. Their sacrifice reflects the indomitable spirit of courage and duty, an enduring legacy that binds India and Australia through shared values and history,' the post said.

Earlier in the day, he held a bilateral meeting with Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles and Australia's Foreign Minister, Penny Wong.

During the day, Rajnath Singh met with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and hailed the positive developments in the bilateral relationship.

During the meeting, the Australian PM underscored how India and Australia's defence partnership is built on trust, shared interests and a commitment to a peaceful, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific.

In a post on X, he said, 'Australia and India's defence partnership keeps getting stronger - built on trust, shared interests and a commitment to a peaceful, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific. Great to meet with the Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on his first trip to Australia for the Inaugural Australia-India Defence Ministers' Dialogue.'

Notably, India and Australia inked key defence agreements during the visit of the Defence Minister.

Marles has described the newly signed defence agreement with India as a 'hugely significant step' in strengthening the operational partnership between the two nations' armed forces.

Speaking exclusively to ANI, Marles said, 'I think the significance of today is that what we are seeing in terms of deep trust and strategic alignment is now being expressed in a much deeper operational level of engagement between our two defence forces. The Agreement that we have signed in terms of staff talks between our operational commands is hugely significant... We are very excited about that.'

Singh arrived in Canberra on Thursday as part of his official visit to Australia aimed at strengthening defence and strategic cooperation between the two nations. (ANI)