Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a bilateral meeting with the Minister of Defence of Russia Army General Sergei K Shoigu on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting in New Delhi on April 28.
The two Ministers discussed wide-ranging issues of bilateral defence cooperation, including military-to-military ties as well as industrial partnership, a press release stated. They also discussed the Russian Defence industry’s participation in the ‘Make in India’ initiative and ways to provide further impetus to it.
The two Ministers also discussed matters on regional peace and security, the statement added. They 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 acknowledged the unique, long-lasting and time-tested relationship between India and Russia.
Rajnath Singh chairs SCO meeting
Defence Ministers of India, Russia, China and other member nations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) deliberated on pressing regional security challenges and related issues at the conclave.
“India views SCO as an important organisation to promote defence cooperation among member states. We, as a nation, wish to further strengthen the spirit of trust and cooperation among the members of the SCO,” Mr. Singh said in his opening remarks.
Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu, Russia’s Sergei Shoigu, Tajikistan’s Colonel General Sherali Mirzo, Iran’s Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiyani, and Kazakhstan’s Colonel General Ruslan Zhaksylykov were among those attending the meeting in Delhi.
What is the SCO?
The SCO is an influential economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations.
The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017.
India was made an observer at the SCO in 2005 and has generally participated in the ministerial-level meetings of the grouping, which focus mainly on security and economic cooperation in the Eurasian region.
India has shown a keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS), which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence.
(with PTI inputs)
