The Indian Air Force Chief was on a four-day visit to South Korea

Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari paid a four-day official visit to the Republic of Korea from December 27 to 30 and discussed enhancing bilateral defence engagement with the country’s top military brass.

The Indian Air Force Media Coordination Centre on Thursday tweeted that the Chief of Air Staff called on Minister of National Defence and Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff and also met Chief of Staff of the Republican Air Force.

“Wide ranging issues on enhancing bilateral defence engagement were discussed during the meetings,” the Twitter post added.

The Indian Air Force Chief also visited important defence establishments.

The visit is expected to bolster ties with the armed forces of the Republic of Korea.

India and Republic of Korea defence relations have expanded in recent years, spurred by a convergence of strategic interests, shared mutual goodwill and several high-level exchanges.

Bilateral ties between the two countries were further elevated to ‘Special Strategic Partnership’ during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015.

In March this year, the two countries explored new avenues to further expand their defence and military ties and reaffirmed support to multilateral initiatives to promote lasting peace and stability in the region and beyond.

A host of issues, including geopolitical developments in the region and ways to boost bilateral strategic partnership, figured in the wide-ranging talks between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his South Korean counterpart Suh Wook.