Rajnath Singh set for two-day Singapore visit to discuss defence cooperation

Defence Minister of India Rajnath Singh will reach Singapore on Monday night for a two-day bilateral visit and the fourth edition of annual India-Singapore Defence Ministers’ Dialogue.

The Indian minister will travel to Singapore from Bangkok, where he attended the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) dialogue
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will travel to Singapore from Bangkok, where he was attending the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) dialogue. Photo courtesy: Facebook/Rajnath Singh

The Indian Defence Minister will hold bilateral deliberations with Dr Ng Eng Hen, the Singapore Minister for Defence, to review the progress of defence engagements and also to discuss future areas of security cooperation. 

The two ministers are also expected to touch upon several multilateral defence cooperation issues and exchange views on regional security, an official release stated.

“The Armed Forces of both countries have developed a very high level of interoperability through annual bilateral exercises between all three Services as well as their interactions in various multilateral military exercises,” the Defence Ministry said.

The Indian minister will travel to Singapore from Bangkok, where he was attending the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) dialogue involving delegations from ASEAN countries and eight other nations.

“India sees the network of ASEAN-led frameworks like the East Asia Summit, the ASEAN Regional Forum, the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus and Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum as providing key building blocks of an emerging ASEAN-centered regional security architecture,” Rajnath said.

He also addressed the ‘India Rising’ Seminar at the ‘Defence & Security-2019’ Exhibition in Bangkok prior to leaving for Singapore. 

During his trip to the Lion City, Mr Singh will also visit various units of the Singapore Armed Forces including the Sembawang Air Base and Changi Naval Base. 

His itinerary includes paying respects at the Indian National Army (INA) Marker at the Esplanade Park, the Mahatma Gandhi Plaque at Clifford Pier and the Kranji War Memorial.

Visits to Little India, including the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple and addressing a gathering of the Indian community at the Mandarin Orchard Hotel, organised by the Indian Institute of Technology’s Alumni Association on Tuesday evening are also on his calendar.

This is Rajnath Singh’s first visit to Singapore in his capacity as Defence Minister in line with the Modi government’s Act East policy to deepen cooperation with Singapore across various sectors.