According to the Ministry, the bilateral talks will focus on enhancing defence corporation with the US and Germany….reports Asian Lite News
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will hold bilateral talks with his visiting US and German counterparts on June 5 and 6, respectively, the Defence Ministry said on Saturday.
According to the Ministry, the bilateral talks will focus on enhancing defence corporation with the US and Germany.
US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin will arrive in New Delhi on June 4 from Singapore on a two-day visit. It will be Secretary Austin’s second visit to India, the previous one being in March 2021.
Meanwhile, Germany’s Federal Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius will arrive in New Delhi on June 5 on a four-day visit to India.
Besides his meeting with Rajnath Singh, Pistorius is also likely to meet a few defence start-ups during an event organised by Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) in New Delhi. On June 7, he will travel to Mumbai where he is likely to visit Headquarters, Western Naval Command and Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited.
According to the Ministry, a host of bilateral defence cooperation issues, with focus on industrial cooperation, are likely to be discussed during the two meetings in Delhi.
Austin to begin India visit
US Defence Secretary Lloyd J Austin is set to arrive in India on an official visit, on Sunday, starting the third leg of this four-nation tour.
He will depart from Singapore and will reach New Delhi to meet Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with an aim to expand defence-industrial partnership. The visit holds particular significance considering Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming state visit to the White House in June.
Austin attended the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore and his first stop was in Tokyo where he met with Japanese Defence Minister Yasukasu Hamada and other senior leaders and visit US troops stationed in Japan.
Later, from Japan, he flew to Singapore, where he addressed plenary remarks at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) 20th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
During his stay in Singapore, he also held key bilateral meetings to advance US partnerships across the region.
Austin’s New Delhi visit will prominently focus on advancing India-US new defence innovation and industrial cooperation initiatives and continuing with the efforts to expand operational cooperation between the US and Indian militaries.
The Pentagon, while elaborating on the details of the Defence Secretary’s visit, said, “After Singapore, Secretary Austin will visit New Delhi to meet with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other leaders as the United States and India continue to modernize the US-India Major Defence Partnership.”
“This visit provides an opportunity to accelerate new defence innovation and industrial cooperation initiatives and drive ongoing efforts to expand operational cooperation between the U.S. and Indian militaries,” the statement added.
Speaking ahead of his four-nation tour, the US Defence Secretary said: “I look forward to travelling to Japan, Singapore, India and France next week. We’ve made ground-breaking progress over the past year alongside our allies and partners towards advancing our shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Also just before PM Modi’s visit to the US, a powerful Congressional Committee has recommended strengthening NATO Plus by including India. This step is a move to deter China.