Rajnath Singh meets Belarusian counterpart on sidelines of SCO in Dushanbe

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday met with his Belarusian counterpart Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' Meeting in Dushanbe. "Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh met Minister of Defence of the Republic of Belarus Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin on the sidelines of the SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting in Dushanbe, today," said Bharat Bhushan Babu, Defence Ministry's Principal Spokesperson.

Rajnath Singh on Tuesday reached Dushanbe to attend the annual meeting of the Defence Ministers of SCO member states in Tajikistan. In the annual meeting, issues like defence cooperation among SCO members are discussed and a communique is expected to be issued after the deliberations. Singh's address at the meeting is slated for today.

Earlier today, Rajnath Singh laid a wreath at the Somoni memorial in Dushanbe. "Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh laid wreath at Ismail Samani (Ismoil Somoni) Memorial in Dushanbe. Ismail Samani, who ruled the region during 892 AD-900 AD is considered a national hero of Tajikistan. Memorial was erected in 1999 to commemorate 1000th anniversary of Samanid State," said Defence Ministry.

On his way towards the SCO Defence Ministers' meeting Hall in Dushanbe, he briefly sat alongside Russian Defence Minister General Sergei Shoigu. During his visit to Dushanbe, the Defence Minister is also expected to meet his Tajik counterpart Col Gen Sherali Mirzo to discuss bilateral issues and other issues of mutual interest.