According to India’s Ministry of Defence, defence cooperation issues among the SCO Member States will be discussed during the meeting. A joint communiqué is expected to be issued after the deliberations…reports Asian Lite News
On the first day of his visit to Tashkent in Uzbekistan, India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held multiple bilateral meetings, including with his Uzbek counterpart Lieutenant General Bakhodir Kurbanov; Kazakhstani counterpart Colonel General Zhaksylykov Ruslan Zhakslykov; and Belarusian counterpart Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin.
The entire spectrum of defence cooperation with the three countries was reviewed during the meetings, with focus on identifying avenues to expand mutually beneficial collaboration. Issues of mutual interest were also discussed, the Ministry of Defence said.
Informing about his meeting with the Defence Minister of Uzbekistan, Singh tweeted, “Had an excellent meeting with the Defence Minister of Uzbekistan, Lt Gen Bakhodir Kurbanov in Tashkent. During our talks, we reviewed the India-Uzbekistan defence relationship. Our cooperation is based on a solid foundation and it will continue to grow over the coming decades.”
He posted another tweet about his meeting with Col. Gen. Ruslan Zhakslykov. Along with a photo, he wrote, “Had a wonderful meeting with the Defence Minister of Kazakhstan, Col Gen Ruslan Zhakslykov today in Tashkent. We discussed the entire gamut of the ongoing defence and security cooperation & other issues of mutual interest. We agreed to further deepen the defence cooperation.”
Later on, he also shared information about his interaction with Belarusian Defence Minister Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin. “Held talks with the Belarusian Defence Minister, Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin in Tashkent. We reviewed the full range of bilateral defence ties and deliberated on ways to enhance cooperation between both the countries,” Singh wrote on Twitter.
Singh arrived in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Tuesday on a three-day official visit to attend the Annual Meeting of Defence Ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Member States which is being held in Wednesday.
According to India’s Ministry of Defence, defence cooperation issues among the SCO Member States will be discussed during the meeting. A joint communiqué is expected to be issued after the deliberations.
Along with India, ministers from China, Pakistan, and Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are also attend the meeting. Following the discussions, a common statement is also anticipated to be released.
Apart from the meetings and official engagements, Singh will also visit the memorial to the late prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri while in Tashkent and meet with members of the Indian diaspora in Uzbekistan.
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