New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will pay a two-day visit to Indonesia to attend a meeting of a grouping comprising 10-nation ASEAN and some of its dialogue partners that is expected to deliberate on evolving regional security scenarios.
Singh is likely to present India’s views on dealing with major security challenges facing the region at the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus).
ADMM-Plus is a platform comprising 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.
“Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will pay an official visit to Indonesian capital Jakarta from November 16 to 17 to attend the 10th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus),” the defence ministry said.
“During the meeting, which will take place on November 16, the defence minister will address the forum on regional and international security issues,” it said in a release.
Indonesia is hosting the meeting as the current chair of ADMM-Plus.
On the sidelines of the ADMM-Plus meeting, Singh will hold bilateral meetings with the defence ministers of the participating countries and discuss issues relating to defence cooperation, according to the ministry.
India became the dialogue partner of the ASEAN in 1992 and the inaugural ADMM-Plus was convened in Hanoi in October 2010. Since 2017, the ADMM-Plus ministers have been meeting annually to bolster regional security cooperation.
PTI