India and South Korea also discussed bilateral defence cooperation

India and South Korea have reaffirmed their support to multilateral initiatives to promote lasting peace and stability in the region and beyond.

The issue was discussed during bilateral talks on defence cooperation between Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his South Korean counterpart Suh Wook in New Delhi on Friday.

Both leaders acknowledged that the bilateral defence cooperation has broadened significantly in scale and scope across Tri-Service as well as agencies dealing with defence technology and industry.

Both the countries have also found common ground on several multilateral fora and engagements.

According to the Ministry of Defence, the Ministers exchanged views on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the defence and security engagements as well as best practices followed by the Armed Forces of both nations.

During the interaction, the Indian Defence Minister said that the bilateral relations between both the countries are set to grow further and the meeting between them will give it the necessary impetus to take it to the next level.

The Ministers also expressed satisfaction over the commitment exhibited by diverse agencies of both countries to sustain structured annual dialogues at various levels of leadership through virtual means when travel and physical engagements became increasingly challenging during the ongoing pandemic.

This has kept up the momentum of bilateral defence engagements. The Armed Forces of both countries hope to approach 2021 with renewed confidence.

Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria, Chief of Army Staff General M M Naravane, Secretary (Defence Production) Raj Kumar and Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) G Satheesh Reddy formed part of the Indian delegation during the talks.

After the meeting, Singh took to Twitter and said, “Had excellent deliberations with the Republic of Korea’s Defence Minister, Mr Suh Wook, in New Delhi today. We discussed ways to strengthen and further deepen defence cooperation between India and RoK.”

https://twitter.com/rajnathsingh/status/1375397565600997383

The Korean Defence Minister is on a three-day visit to India to review the bilateral defence ties.

Earlier, Rajnath Singh and Suh Wook jointly inaugurated the India-Korea Friendship Park in a ceremony to mark the occasion at Delhi Cantonment. The park is a symbol of close relations between both the countries and acknowledges the contribution of the Indian Army’s Medical Mission during the Korean War.

https://twitter.com/rajnathsingh/status/1375378202714021891

Both Ministers planted a sapling each to mark the momentous occasion. Suh Wook felicitated Korean War Veterans Association of India General Secretary Anil Malhotra on the occasion.