India, Singapore to boost defence ties

Defence Minister Arun Jaitley Tuesday met his Singapore counterpart Ng Eng Hen and discussed boosting defence ties between the two countries.

An official statement said both ministers, during the meeting, agreed that the enhancement of defence relationship between the two countries was "in the mutual interest".

The two ministers also expressed satisfaction over the wide ranging and comprehensive defence exchanges between the two countries and exchanged views on the global and regional security scenario.

In the context of security situation in the Asia Pacific region, Jaitley and Hen acknowledged the role of the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM)-Plus framework in promoting dialogue and consensus in the region.

"Both ministers noted the commonalities in the security concerns of India and Singapore and acknowledged that there was scope for both countries to continue to work together for peace and stability," the statement said.

Hen was accompanied by Singapore's High Commissioner Lim Thuan Kuan and other officials of the Singaporean defence ministry and armed forces.

The Indian delegation included Defence Secretary R.K. Mathur, Chief of the Integrated Defence Staff Air Marshal P.P. Reddy and other senior officers of the ministries of defence and external affairs, and the armed forces.