NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, NOV 22
The maiden India-ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting was held on Tuesday at Siem Reap, Cambodia to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of India-ASEAN relations in 2022, which has also been designated as ‘ASEAN-India Friendship Year’. The meeting was co-chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence of Cambodia General Tea Banh. It preceded the 9th ASEAN-Defence Ministers Meeting’ (ADMM) Plus scheduled to take place tomorrow.
Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh & his Cambodian counterpart co-chair maiden India-ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Siem Reap.
RM conveys India’s continued advocacy for a free, open, inclusive & rules-based Indo-Pacific. ⁰https://t.co/gVGBrVnNek pic.twitter.com/GzEyf1Ogqj
— रक्षा मंत्री कार्यालय/ RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) November 22, 2022
- Rajnath Singh conveys India’s continued advocacy for a free, open, inclusive & rules-based Indo-Pacific
- To further expand India-ASEAN ties, Rajnath announces initiatives for Women in UN Peace Keeping Operations & Marine Plastic Pollution
- Rajnath Singh holds bilateral meeting with US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin
Rajnath Singh, in his address, highlighted the historic and robust ties that India shares with ASEAN countries. India-ASEAN relationship was elevated recently to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during the ASEAN-India Summit held in Cambodia on November 12, 2022.
Shri @rajnathsingh had bilateral 🤝 with @SecDef Lloyd Austin in Siem Reap #Cambodia today
Both met with warmth & expressed satisfaction at growing bilateral defence engagements@DefenceMinIndia accompanied by Def Secy Shri @giridhararamane & other Sr Min of #Defence officials pic.twitter.com/kqzqasowcE
— PRO Defence Gujarat (@DefencePRO_Guj) November 22, 2022
He emphasised that the centrality of ASEAN in the Indo- Pacific region is the cornerstone of India’s Act East Policy. During this maiden India-ASEAN Defence Ministers meeting, Singh proposed two major initiatives for further expanding the scope and the depth of the India-ASEAN defence relations. One of the initiatives proposed by him was the ‘India-ASEAN Initiative for Women in UN Peace Keeping Operations’ which includes conduct of tailor-made courses for women peacekeepers of ASEAN Member States at the Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping in India and conduct of a ‘Table Top Exercise’ in India for women officers from ASEAN incorporating facets of UN peacekeeping challenges. He underlined the importance of women officers in peacekeeping missions for ensuring lasting peace.
The second initiative announced by Rajnath Singh was ‘India-ASEAN Initiative on Marine Plastic Pollution’ which includes channelising of the energy of the youth towards addressing the critical issue of marine pollution. Rajnath Singh informed the ASEAN members of the significant work done by the NCC in the cleaning of Indian beaches and raising awareness about plastic pollution in the Indian coastal community. He suggested coordination between the NCC and the equivalent youth organisations of ASEAN countries for a collective effort in this direction in the region. He also proposed establishment of an India-ASEAN Marine Pollution Response Centre at Chennai by the Indian Coast Guard to address and supplement regional efforts to deal with marine pollution incidents.
Both the initiatives were very warmly received by the ASEAN defence leadership who unanimously and strongly endorsed its practicality and relevance. The ASEAN defence ministers also acknowledged the positive role played by India in the region.
The Raksha Mantri also conveyed India’s continued advocacy for a free, open, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific while also suggesting the need for India and ASEAN to work together for maritime security in the region. He expressed satisfaction towards ASEAN’s support for the first India-ASEAN maritime exercise planned to be conducted in May next year. In conclusion, the forum recognised the importance of the India-ASEAN ties for ensuring peace and stability in the region.
Rajnath Singh holds bilateral meeting with US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin
Delighted to meet the US Secretary of Defence, Mr Lloyd J. Austin in Siem Reap. @SecDef pic.twitter.com/gKmn5zA4Nb
— Rajnath Singh (मोदी का परिवार) (@rajnathsingh) November 22, 2022
Rajnath Singh held a bilateral meeting with US Secretary of Defence Mr Lloyd Austin in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Rajnath Singh and Lloyd Austin are in Cambodia to attend the 9th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) Plus meeting. Both leaders met each other with great warmth and expressed satisfaction at the growing bilateral defence engagements. He was accompanied by Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane and other senior officials of Ministry of Defence.
The two Defence Ministers discussed wide range of issues of mutual interest while expressing their commitment to a strong India-US defence cooperation. Rajnath Singh emphasised the need for both countries to work together for capability building in critical domains such as military aviation, artificial intelligence and cyber technology.
The two leaders expressed their commitment towards an inclusive and rules-based Indo Pacific with freedom of navigation, overflight and unimpeded trade. They further discussed initiatives that can be taken to strengthen maritime cooperation between the two countries, including in maritime domain awareness. Both leaders also shared their perspectives on the regional security situation.
