Rajnath Singh meets his South Korean, Australian and New Zealand counterparts in Laos

He also met US Secretary of Defence Lloyd J Austin.

In his meeting with South Korean Defence Minister Kim Yong Hyun, the Defence Minister emphasised that defence manufacturing ecosystems of the two nations had a great potential for growth in co-production and co-development.

He invited the Korean side to invest in India's defence corridors which has tremendous opportunities for Korean companies to set up manufacturing facilities in India.

India and Korea share a Special Strategic Partnership which has made significant progress in recent years and is bound to move to the next higher level, a release said.

The two sides agreed that bilateral defence cooperation is on a positive trajectory and the similarity of challenges and threats necessitated strong bilateral defence relations.

Both sides agreed to work together on the 'Road map for Defence Industry Corporation' signed in February 2020 through established mechanisms like Defence Policy Dialogue (DPD). The next edition of DPD is scheduled in December 2024.

Rajnath Singh congratulated Kim Yong Hyun on being appointed as the Defence Minister of Korea.

In his meeting with Minister for Defence Industry & Capability Delivery of Australia Pat Conroy, Rajnath Singh recalled that India-Australia partnership is grounded in shared interests, especially stability and security in the Indian Ocean region.

He expressed happiness over the significant milestones achieved in the defence engagements over the last few years. Rajnath Singh pointed out the untapped potential for Indian and defence industries to collaborate and cooperate in niche areas.

Implementing arrangement on air-to-air refuelling was exchanged between the two countries. This would strengthen inter-operability between the two Air Forces, a significant step forward in bilateral relationship. Both sides agreed to take defence engagements to the next higher level by cooperating bilaterally as well as in regional context.

In his meeting with Defence Minister of New Zealand Judith Collins, Rajnath Singh said the bilateral relationship was anchored in shared democratic traditions, commonality of institutions of governance, rule of law, English language, love for cricket, mountaineering and hockey and also shared vision of a peaceful, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.

He requested for early finalisation of Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) in order to further strengthen the defence cooperation between two countries, which is growing continuously through regular exchanges of visits of senior defence officials and naval ships. He also highlighted the capabilities of India's strong shipbuilding Industry and both sides agreed to enhance cooperation in this important area.

Rajnath Singh attended the 11th ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting-Plus (ADMM Plus).

Singh on Wednesday also held bilaterals with Khaled Nordin, Minister of Defence, Malaysia and General Chansamone Chanyalath, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence of Lao PDR.

He also participated in an Indian Community event where he highlighted the progress India has made in various spheres in recent years. (ANI)