Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to visit Laos from November 20 to November 22 to attend the 11th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus. This visit will provide India with an excellent opportunity to further strengthen its defense ties with ASEAN countries and other major global powers.
In a post on X, Rajnath Singh shared details of his visit, stating, “Today, 20th November, I’m leaving for Vientiane to attend the 11th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Lao PDR.” The Defence Minister emphasized that he would discuss a range of regional and international security issues during the event.
Singh will also be briefing the forum on issues related to regional and international security. He is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with the Defence Ministers of Australia, China, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, and the United States during his visit. He meets them in order to strengthen India’s cooperation on defense-related issues with these nations.
The timing of these meetings adds significant value to their importance. These are coming right after the interactions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with several leaders from ADMM-Plus nations during his recent visit to the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. PM Modi had met US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. And South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, among others. These bilateral engagements set the stage for stronger partnerships in the future.
Thus, the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting is the highest defense consultative and cooperative mechanism within ASEAN. While ADMM-Plus serves as a dialogue platform for the ten ASEAN members. And their eight Dialogue Partners: India, the US, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. Both these platforms have been in existence to improve security and defense cooperation in the region.
India became a Dialogue Partner of ASEAN in 1992. The first ADMM-Plus took place in Hanoi, Vietnam in 2010. Lao PDR is hosting this year’s meeting.
All these engagements mark the continuous active role. And contribution of India to regional security and cooperation for the safety and stability of the Indo-Pacific region.
ANI