Monday saw Singapore and Australia reaffirming that they would boost up bilateral ties and strengthen cooperation on regional and international political, economic and security developments.

Talks were held between Ministers from both countries at the sixth meeting of the Singapore-Australia Joint Ministerial Committee (SAJMC), a high-level bilateral dialogue system. It was here that Singapore and Australian ministers reviewed bilateral, regional and international developments.

A joint communiqué after the meeting said: "The ministers reaffirmed that bilateral relations are excellent. The ministers encouraged officials on both sides to explore new areas of cooperation to bring the strategic partnership to an even higher level."

The message further said that there has been deeper growth in the bilateral defense relationship, which has broadened in scope too. The two countries also noted that they share one of the most significant bilateral economic partnerships in the region.

The two sides also nodded heads in 'yes' for widening the areas of cooperation and interaction in science and technology, clean energy, and encouraging more people-to-people and academic exchanges.

"On regional development issues, the two sides noted that the United States, China, Japan and India all had important roles to play in maintaining security and stability in the region," specified the message.

Further more, the ministers also stressed on the need to boost cooperation on information-sharing, to strengthen border systems and to enhance coordination among law enforcement agencies to address issues of people smuggling and trafficking.

Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Stephen Smith, Minister for Defense John Faulkner and Minister for Trade Simon Crean, as well as their Singaporean counterparts - Singapore Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Teo Chee Hean, Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo, and Minister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang - participated in the meeting.