SINGAPORE: Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh on Saturday held separate talks with senior officials from Australia, the European Union and the Netherlands on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, as India stepped up defence diplomacy with key Indo-Pacific and European partners.
After Singh's bilateral discussions with Australian Defence Secretary Meghan Quinn, India's defence ministry posted on social media: “Both sides reviewed the progress of the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, discussed forthcoming high-level engagements, and explored avenues to further strengthen defence cooperation in areas of mutual interest.”
The India-Australia defence relationship has acquired greater strategic significance in recent years amid growing focus on security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Indo-Pacific has emerged as the central theatre of global strategic competition, with around 60 per cent of global maritime trade passing through it. For India, the Indo-Pacific forms the core of its security calculus, with growing strategic interests stretching from the Strait of Malacca to the Persian Gulf.
Singh also met Secretary General of the European External Action Service Belen Martínez Carbonell and Deputy Chair of the European Union Military Committee Lt Gen Enrico Barduani.
The ministry said, "The meeting advanced strategic dialogue between India and the European Union, with discussions on shared security interests and avenues for deepening defence and strategic cooperation."
The engagement came amid increasing cooperation between India and the European Union on strategic and security issues, including maritime security and wider Indo-Pacific developments.
Singh also interacted with the Netherlands Defence Minister Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius.
The discussions, according to India’s defence ministry, focused on “enhancing bilateral #DefenceCooperation, strengthening military-to-military ties, and exploring opportunities for defence industrial collaboration”, reflecting growing strategic partnership between the two sides.
All these meetings took place on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's premier security summit, which brings together defence ministers, military leaders and security officials from across the Indo-Pacific and beyond.