Senior officials from India, France and Australia met virtually for the first trilateral dialogue on Wednesday on economic and geo-strategic challenges and strengthening of cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

The meeting was held particularly in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and domestic responses to it, according to an official release.

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs Secretary General François Delattre and Australian Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Trade Frances Adamson attended the meeting.

“The three countries also had an exchange on the priorities, challenges and trends in regional and global multilateral institutions, including the best ways to strengthen and reform multilateralism,” the release stated.

The three sides agreed to hold the dialogue on an annual basis.

Cooperation on Marine Global Commons and potential areas for practical cooperation at the trilateral and regional level were also discussed, including through regional organisations such as the Asean, Indian Ocean Rim Association and the Indian Ocean Commission.

The objective of the meeting was building on the strong bilateral relations that the three countries share with each other and synergising their respective strengths to ensure a peaceful, secure, prosperous and rules-based Indo-Pacific Region, the statement added.