Rajnath Singh Visit: Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Vietnam-South Korea visit, emphasis will be on strengthening military cooperation
Delhi. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh left on Monday on a four-day visit to Vietnam and South Korea. The visit aims to discuss measures to strengthen strategic defense cooperation, including joint production of military equipment. Before leaving for Vietnam’s capital Hanoi, Singh said the main objectives of his visit to the two Asian countries would be to strengthen defense industrial partnership, promote maritime cooperation and promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
After concluding his visit to Vietnam, the Defense Minister will visit South Korea on Tuesday on a three-day visit. Defense Minister Singh’s visit to Vietnam comes days after the two countries upgraded their relations to the level of Advanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during the visit of Vietnamese President To Lam to New Delhi. In Hanoi, Singh will hold bilateral talks with Vietnam’s Minister of National Defense General Phan Van Giang. It is understood that both sides will also discuss the current situation in the South China Sea. China’s military activities in this region have increased in recent years.
There are growing concerns about China’s claims to broader sovereignty over the South China Sea, a vast source of hydrocarbons. Several countries in the region, such as Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei, also have separate claims to the South China Sea. India and many other democratic countries have been emphasizing peaceful resolution of these disputes and adherence to international laws, especially UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) relating to the law of the sea.
Officials said Singh and General Jiang will hold wide-ranging talks to boost bilateral defense industrial cooperation, including joint development of military equipment. During his visit to South Korea, Singh will hold bilateral talks with National Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-bak. “The two ministers will review defense cooperation between the two countries and discuss new initiatives to further strengthen bilateral relations,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement. They will also share their views on regional and global issues of common interest.
Singh will also meet Defense Procurement Program Administration Minister Lee Yong-cheol and chair the India-Korea Trade Roundtable. “The natural synergy of India’s ‘Act East Policy’ and South Korea’s ‘Indo-Pacific Strategy’, as well as shared values in the Indo-Pacific region, has opened a new chapter in relations between the two countries,” the ministry said.
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