Australian and India held a formal bilateral Defense Ministers' Dialogue in Canberra on Wednesday for deepening their contemporary bilateral defense-to-defense and military-to-military cooperation, Australian Defense Minister Stephen Smith and Indian Minister of Defense A. K. Antony announced.

"India and Australia have a shared interest in helping to address these strategic changes, including through defense collaboration," Smith said in a statement.

According to Smith, Australia's contemporary bilateral defense- to-defense and military-to-military cooperation with India occurs under the framework of the Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation, which was issued by the prime ministers of Australia and India in 2009.

Australia and India also cooperate in a range of regional fora, including the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) and the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IORARC). Australia will be the chair of IONS next year and host its Conclave of Chiefs in Perth in March 2014.

During Wednesday's Dialogue, Smith said he and Minister Antony agreed to practical measures that would further enhance bilateral defense cooperation between the two countries.

In addition, India also accepted Australia's invitation for Indian naval ship participation in the International Fleet Review that will occur in Sydney in October this year. Endi

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