Rajnath Singh holds bilateral meetings with his Kyrgyz, Kazakh & Belarusian counterparts in Bishkek to further strengthen defence cooperation
Bishkek, April 29
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held bilateral meetings with his Kyrgyz, Kazakh and Belarusian counterparts on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Defence Ministers' Meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Tuesday.
During the meeting with the Defence Minister of Kyrgyzstan, Major General Mukambetov Ruslan Mustafaevich, both sides discussed ways to strengthen the existing bilateral defence cooperation, the Defence Ministry said in an official statement.
According to the ministry, the Defence Minister gifted the two Bhishm Aarogya Maitri Health Cubes to the Kyrgyz side, which have been indigenously developed in India to ensure Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, and Search & Rescue during natural calamities.
Rajnath Singh also announced the completion of the project of provisioning of 12 sets of Computer Systems each at IT Centres of Kyrgyz Military Institute, Bishkek and Military Unit 36806- Osh, followed by the successful installation of Wargaming Software and On-the-Job Training of the Personnel of the Kyrgyz Armed Forces.
In his meeting with the Minister of Defence of Kazakhstan, the Defence Minister emphasised that defence cooperation between the two countries encompasses diverse sectors and it forms an important pillar of bilateral partnership, the ministry said.
During the meeting with the Defence Minister of Belarus, Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin, Rajnath Singh underlined that India attaches high priority to developing a mutually beneficial partnership with Belarus and identified capacity building & training as among the major areas of cooperation, the ministry noted.
In addition, the Defence Minister briefly interacted with the Defence Minister of China, Admiral Dong Jun and the Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, according to the ministry.
During the discussions, the Ministers shared views on the regional and global security landscape, in particular the developments in West Asia.
Earlier, Rajnath Singh & other Defence Ministers paid a courtesy call on Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov. The Defence Ministers also laid wreaths at the Victory Square in Bishkek.
— ANI
Reader Comments
It's encouraging to see India strengthening ties with Central Asian countries. However, I wish the government would focus equally on domestic defence production to reduce our import dependency. Still, good to see our Defence Minister promoting joint exercises and training.
The wargaming software installation in Kyrgyzstan is a smart move. It helps build interoperability and trust. Plus, these small steps show India's soft power in Central Asia. But I think we need to be careful about China's growing influence in that region too.
Rajnath Singh meeting the Chinese Defence Minister briefly is significant. While the official line is just 'brief interaction,' these small talks can help reduce tensions. India should maintain a strong but dialogue-friendly posture with China. 😊
The Health Cubes for disaster relief are a nice touch. India does a lot in humanitarian aid, from Nepal to Myanmar. But I wonder how much of this gets attention at home. The average Indian doesn't hear about these achievements. Government should publicise them more.
These bilateral meetings are routine but crucial. However, with Russia's invasion of Ukraine and West Asia tensions, India needs to be more vocal about our strategic autonomy. The 'stand with all, align with none' policy works, but we need clear red lines too.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.