On the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting in Delhi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a bilateral with his Russian counterpart General Sergei K Shoigu on Friday.
The two Ministers spoke on a variety of topics related to bilateral defence cooperation, including industrial cooperation and military-to-military ties. They also discussed the Russian defence industry’s participation in the ‘Make in India’ initiative and ways to provide further impetus to it, the Ministry of Defence said in an official statement.As the two sides acknowledged the unique, long-lasting and time-tested relationship between India and Russia, the two ministers also discussed matters of regional peace and security. They also expressed satisfaction over the continued trust and mutual respect between the two countries, particularly in defence and reiterated their commitment towards strengthening the partnership, according to the official statement.
Earlier today, Singh while addressing SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting in New Delhi said that India believes in maintaining peace & security based on UN Charter provisions and exhorted for concerted efforts to ensure win-win cooperation for great gain.
Furthermore, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also touched upon the two defence-related activities launched by India, as the SCO chair, to increase interoperability among member states. These are: a workshop on ‘Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR)’ and a seminar on ‘defence think tanks of SCO countries’. Both events witnessed enthusiastic participation from all SCO countries.
