Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull have agreed to strengthen defiance relations between the two countries through joint military training and exercises.

    Abe met his Australian counterpart on Saturday as part of his current visit to Australia, the first since Turnbull became prime minister in late 2015. "We have confirmed our commitment to the rule of law, free trade and open markets in our region," Turnbull told reporters at a joint press conference on Saturday. 

    Abe said the increasingly uncertain geopolitical landscape made the relationship between Japan and Australia more important than ever. "It is important to guard and increase the robustness of the free, open and rules-based international order," Abe said. 

    The two leaders announced the signing of an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA), which will increase cooperation in combined exercises, training and peace-keeping operations. The agreement is expected to be finalized by the end of 2017. Both leaders also reaffirmed the importance of their respective security alliances with the United States.

Source: QNA