Aust, India move to boost defence ties

Australia and India will boost defence ties with a far-reaching agreement to enhance bilateral co-operation.

That covers counter-terrorism, cyber policy, disarmament and non-proliferation and maritime security.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi have revealed the new Framework for Security Co-operation to guide closer bilateral collaboration in security.

That also covers research, development and industry engagement.

Australia and India will conduct regular meetings at defence minister level, regular maritime exercises and convene regular navy-to-navy, air force-to-air force and army-to-army staff talks.

With the centenary of World War I approaching, Australia and India, whose troops both fought on the Gallipoli Peninsula, will strengthen efforts to commemorate the shared military history.

Australia and India share many institutions and values but mostly operate in largely separate strategic spheres.

That's changing, with the first visit to Australia by an Indian defence minister last year.

At Australia's invitation, India dispatched its warship INS Sahyadri to the International Fleet Review in Sydney in October last year.

There's growing naval co-operation, with bilateral maritime exercises set to start next year.

The last time Australian and Indian warships engaged operationally was during the US-India Exercise Malabar in 2007.

Mr Abbott and Mr Modi said the two countries were working more closely to build a safe and prosperous region, including through key regional forums such as the East Asia Summit.

They are committed to building up the Indian Ocean Rim Association and support regional efforts to create stronger humanitarian and disaster relief capabilities, they said in a joint statement.

Australia and India also signed agreements on prisoner transfer and on police co-operation to counter the narcotics trade.

The prisoner agreement will enable Australians in Indian jails to apply to serve the remaining part of their sentence in Australia and vice versa for Indian prisoners.

Australian Federal Police and India's Narcotics Control Bureau will co-operate in training personnel and exchanging specialists and experts in narcotics control.