India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Russian counterpart, General Sergei Shoigu, have vowed to strengthen the military partnership between their countries. The two ministers held extensive talks on the sidelines of a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and discussed matters relating to regional peace and security, as well as wide-ranging issues of bilateral defence cooperation.
Singh and Shoigu expressed satisfaction over the continued trust and mutual respect between the two countries, particularly in defence, and reiterated their commitment towards strengthening the partnership. They also discussed the Russian defence industry’s participation in India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative in the defence manufacturing sector and ways to provide further impetus to it.
The Indian defence ministry said the two ministers acknowledged the unique, long-lasting and time-tested relationship between India and Russia, and discussed military-to-military ties as well as industrial partnership. The visit comes days after Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov travelled to India and held extensive talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
Singh also held separate bilateral meetings with his Uzbek counterpart, Lieutenant General Bakhodir Kurbanov, and Kyrgyzstan’s Lieutenant General Bekbolotov B Asankalievich, as well as with Belarusian Defence Minister Lieutenant General Victor Khrenin. The defence ministry said the entire gamut of defence cooperation with the three countries was reviewed during the meetings, with a focus on identifying beneficial avenues for furthering bilateral ties, and issues of mutual interest were also discussed.
In addition, Singh met SCO Secretary General Zhang Ming and discussed various activities undertaken by India under its SCO chairmanship with him. The defence minister informed Ming that India is committed to contributing constructively to the implementation of the SCO’s mandate.
India and Russia have a long-standing history of cooperation in the defence sector, and India remains one of the largest buyers of Russian military equipment. The recent talks between the two countries demonstrate their continued commitment to strengthening their partnership in the face of regional security challenges.