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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Hanoi on Monday, kicking off the Vietnam leg of his two-nation tour aimed at deepening India's strategic and defence partnerships across the Indo-Pacific.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was received at the airport by the Deputy Chief of General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army (VPA), the Ambassador of India to Vietnam, and the Defence Attache at the Indian Embassy in Hanoi. Senior officials from Vietnam's Ministry of National Defence and members of the Indian Embassy were also present on the occasion. The visit comes shortly after the state visit of To Lam to New Delhi, signalling growing momentum in bilateral defence ties between the two countries. The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system is expected to figure prominently in the talks, with both sides likely to review progress on a potential supply agreement that has been under discussion for some time. During his stay, Rajnath Singh is scheduled to hold talks with his Vietnamese counterpart, with discussions expected to cover a broad range of defence and security cooperation issues. Defence cooperation, military exchanges, defence manufacturing and regional security are expected to remain key focus areas during the visit. Vietnam is the first leg of Rajnath Singh's two-nation tour. He will subsequently travel to the Republic of Korea for the second leg of the visit, where defence manufacturing, military industry collaboration and technology cooperation are expected to dominate the agenda. In South Korea, Rajnath Singh will hold bilateral talks with the Minister of National Defence Ahn Gyu-back. The Ministers will review defence cooperation between the two countries and explore new initiatives to further strengthen bilateral engagements. They will also exchange views on regional and global issues of shared interest. He will also meet Minister of Defence Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) Lee, Yong-cheol and chair the India-Korea business roundtable, according to the release. A joint inauguration of the Indian War Memorial with Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Kwon Oh-eul has been planned on May 21. (ANI)
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