The Australian minister congratulated India for the way it hosted the World Cup 2023 and the way in which Indian team has played

Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles and Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held bilateral meeting and attended the 2 Plus 2 Ministerial Dialogue at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Monday.

"During our earlier discussion, we were able to identify areas and initiatives where our two countries would collaborate... Today's meeting will give us an opportunity to reaffirm our resolve to further deepen our defence partnership," Rajnath Singh said during the bilateral meeting with Australian counterpart.

Singh also welcomed the Australian minister and his delegation to India. "It is indeed my great pleasure to meet you today and hold discussions on our bilateral defence cooperation. India-Australia relations have thrived on the strong foundations of trust and shared democratic values," the India's defence minister said in his opening remarks at 2+2 ministerial dialogue with his Australian counterpart.

The Australian Defence Minister said his country's relationship with India has been most important that it has in the world.

"It is hard to overstate how important we regard India and our relationship with India. In a difficult world, particularly in the Indian Ocean, we are neighbours, we have a deep strategic alignment, but more importantly, we have shared traditions of democracy, the rule of law, freedom of speech and heritage, including cricket... Our relationship with India has been the most important relationship that we have in the world," Marles said.

"It's great to be back in India again and to be here at such an auspicious time for the World Cup. I congratulate India for the way it hosted the World Cup and the way in which India has played. And we feel lucky with the result last night. But it has been just a great expression of the friendship between Australia and India," the Australian Defence Minister said.

Marles also met India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. During the meeting, both the leaders spoke about recent developments that "influence the Indo-Pacific strategic scenario," and also exchanged views on West Asia.

"And yes, we discussed yesterday’s (India-Australia World Cup 2023 final) match. Congratulations Australia!" Jaishankar said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.