Defence Secretary holds talks with Singapore President on sidelines of Shangri-La Dialogue, discusses strategic ties
Singapore, May 30
Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh on Saturday met Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue 2026, as India continued its high-level defence engagements with key international partners in Singapore.
Singh and President Shanmugaratnam interacted at the Istana reception, where discussions focused on strengthening bilateral strategic ties and expanding cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
In a post on X, the Ministry of Defence said, "Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh interacted with Singapore President Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the Istana reception hosted on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue 2026. The discussions focused on further strengthening bilateral strategic ties and advancing cooperation in areas of mutual interest."
Earlier in the day, Singh met Sweden's State Secretary to the Minister of Defence, Peter Sandwall, and discussed ways to deepen defence engagement between the two countries.
In a post on X, the Ministry of Defence said, "Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh interacted with State Secretary to the Minister of Defence, Sweden Mr Peter Sandwall. Discussions focused on strengthening India-Sweden defence engagement and exploring opportunities for enhanced bilateral Defence Cooperation, including in the domain of defence technology and innovation."
Earlier in the day, Singh held bilateral discussions with the Chief of Defence of the Netherlands, General Onno Eichelsheim. According to the Ministry of Defence, the discussions focused on expanding military exchange programmes and bilateral training events.
In a post on X, the MoD stated, "Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh held bilateral discussions with Chief of Defence, Netherlands General Onno Eichelsheim. Deliberations were held on avenues to enhance Defence Cooperation between both nations through military exchange programmes and bilateral training events."
The meeting was part of India's high-level defence engagements at the Shangri-La Dialogue, where Rajesh Kumar Singh also met senior defence officials from the Netherlands, Australia and the European Union.
During a separate meeting with Dutch Defence Minister Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius, the two sides discussed ways to strengthen bilateral defence ties, military-to-military cooperation and defence industrial collaboration.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Interesting to see India building ties with Sweden and the Netherlands too. Defence technology collaboration with Sweden could be a game-changer for Make in India. Also, military exchanges with the Dutch are a smart move to learn from European expertise.
Honestly, I'm glad India is stepping up its diplomatic game globally. Meeting the Singapore President at the Istana is a big deal—shows the respect India commands. But I hope these talks lead to concrete outcomes, not just photo ops and X posts. 🤔
Shangri-La Dialogue is the right platform for India to assert its strategic autonomy. Interesting that Sweden and Netherlands are also in the mix—European partners are waking up to India's potential. Let's hope these discussions translate into stronger defence partnerships and technology transfers.
While these high-level meetings are impressive, I wish we also focused on domestic defence production. Engaging Singapore and Netherlands is fine, but what about boosting our own military-industrial complex? Still, good to see India taking a lead in regional security discussions. 🇮🇳
Fantastic that our Defence Secretary is engaging with so many nations in one go—Singapore, Sweden, Netherlands, Australia, EU... This is the kind of proactive diplomacy India needs. Especially the focus on defence tech innovation with Sweden and military exchanges with Netherlands. Well played! 🎯
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