Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday had bilateral talks with his Belarusian and Russian counterparts on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' Meeting in Qingdao, discussing defence relations and regional security challenges.
On X, Singh posted: "Enriching interaction with the Belarusian Defence Minister Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin in Qingdao." The meeting was as Belarus continued to engage with the SCO, after signing its Memorandum of Obligation for full membership during India's 2023 presidency of the organisation.
Singh also encountered Russia's new Defence Minister, Andrey Belousov. Tweeting about their conversation, Singh wrote: "Delighted to have met the Russian Defence Minister, Andrey Belousov, on the sidelines of the SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting in Qingdao. We had thoughtful deliberations on strengthening India-Russia defence cooperation."
India and Russia enjoy traditional and far-reaching cooperation in the defence field. This collaboration is guided through the Intergovernmental Commission on Military and Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC), co-chaired by both countries' defence ministers.
The two nations continue to work together on various major defence projects such as the sale of S-400 missile systems, licensed manufacture of T-90 tanks and Su-30 MKI fighter jets, supply of MiG-29 and Kamov helicopters, and production of AK-203 rifles in India.
Besides, the INS Vikramaditya (renamed from Admiral Gorshkov) and the BrahMos missile are also landmark entries in bilateral defence cooperation.
New Delhi and Moscow have both emphasised that their defence ties have moved beyond a buyer-seller relationship to encompass joint research, co-development, and co-production of cutting-edge military technologies and platforms.
Speaking at the SCO summit, Singh urged collective global action against terrorism, radicalisation, and extremism and characterised them as the most serious challenges to peace and confidence in the region.
Mentioning the recent Pahalgam terror attack on 22 April that left 26 civilians, including a Nepali citizen, dead, Singh stated India had exercised its right of self-defence in Operation Sindoor targeting cross-border terror infrastructure.
The hotbeds of terrorism are no longer secure," Singh added, reaffirming India's zero-tolerance approach and calling on SCO members to abandon double standards and bring the terrorism sponsors to book.
Singh's China visit is also the first by an Indian Union Minister after diplomatic ties between the two countries soured after the military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, which started in May 2020.
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