With a focus on better coordination on Indo-Pacific, a trilateral meet was held among India, France, and Australia on Wednesday (February 24) at the senior officials' level. Remember, the three sides had held the first Foreign Secretary-level Trilateral Dialogue in September of 2020. All three countries are key supports of the Indo-Pacific vision. The Indian side was led by Joint Secretary (Europe West) in MEA, Sandeep Chakravorty, while the French side was led by Bertrand Lortholary, Director (Asia and Oceania), and the Australian side was led by Mr Gary Cowan, First Assistant Secretary (North and South Asia Division) and Mr John Geering, First Assistant Secretary (Europe and Latin America Division). Other key focus areas were greater maritime domain awareness of Indo Pacific countries, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations, oil spill management, and disaster resilience of small island states.

Source: dna February 24, 2021 14:24 UTC