Editor-DN
New Delhi:
India and Japan on Friday discussed a mutual clause in the supply and services agreement for greater interoperability between the militaries of the two strategic partners, amid joint efforts to flex China’s military muscle in strategic waters. There are concerns.
The proposed agreement was discussed in a meeting between Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and his Japanese counterpart General Nakatani on the sidelines of the Regional Security Summit in Vientiane, the capital of Laos.
The Ministry of Defense said that the two sides agreed to increase cooperation in joint production and joint development of military hardware.
“To further enhance cooperation between the Indian and Japanese forces, the two ministers agreed on mutual provision of logistics and services agreements between the two countries and participation of troops in various bilateral and multilateral exercises,” it said in a statement. discussed.”
The mutual supply and services agreement, if sealed, would allow the militaries of the two countries to use each other’s bases for supply repair and replenishment, as well as enhance overall defense cooperation.
Rajnath Singh and General Nakatani also agreed to explore new areas of cooperation in the air domain, the ministry said.
He said both sides reiterated the importance of India-Japan defense industry and technology cooperation.
“Recalling the milestone ceremony of signing the Memorandum of Implementation (MoI) for the UNICORN mast in Japan last week, the two sides agreed to increase cooperation in joint production and joint development in the field of defense manufacturing,” he said. said
An MoI was signed for the joint development of the UNICORN (Unified Complex Radio Antenna) mast, a key piece of equipment to enhance the stealth characteristics of warships.
Rajnath Singh also held a separate bilateral meeting with Philippine Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro.
“Both sides agreed to expand and deepen cooperation in exchange of subject matter experts, defense industry, counter-terrorism, space and maritime domains,” the ministry said.
Before leaving for Delhi, Singh visited Wat Siskat Mandir (a Buddhist temple) in Vientiane, and received a blessing from Mahavit Chatakaru, abbot of Sisak Temple.
Rajnath Singh arrived in Vientiane on Wednesday, primarily to attend the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) meeting.
ADMM-Plus is a platform involving the 10-nation ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and its eight dialogue partners — India, China, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States. .
Laos hosted the meeting as the current chair of ADMM-Plus.
(Other than the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
