NEW DELHI: In a bilateral meeting, the Defence Ministers of India and Russia on Friday discussed defence and military issues as well as the participation of Russian industry in the production of military equipment in India. Earlier, in his address at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting, the Russian Defence Minister accused the US and the West of provoking other countries into military standoffs with Russia and China.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a bilateral meeting with Russian Defence Minister General Sergei Shoigu on the sidelines of the SCO meeting in New Delhi.
“The two ministers discussed wide-ranging issues of bilateral defence cooperation, including military-to-military ties as well as industrial partnership. They also discussed the Russian defence industry’s participation in the ‘Make in India’ initiative and ways to provide further impetus to it,” said the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
“They expressed satisfaction over the continued trust and mutual respect between the two countries, particularly in defence and reiterated their commitment towards strengthening the partnership. They acknowledged the unique, long-lasting and time-tested relationship between India and Russia,” the MoD added.
Meanwhile, in his address at the meeting, Shoigu said, “Today, Washington and its collaborators are implementing their strategic plan to provoke other countries into a military standoff with Russia and China. The conflict in Ukraine serves as a striking confirmation of this criminal policy. Its actual goal is to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, create a threat for China and preserve [the US’] monopoly position in the world.”
The Russian Defence Minister’s remarks came amid the ongoing border standoff between the militaries of India and China along the Line of Actual control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.
In the backdrop of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, Shoigu said that a large-scale information campaign has been launched to compromise the Russian leadership and its policies.
Shoigu also said that the process of breaking and dismantling key arms control and confidence-building agreements has been set in motion.
“At first, Washington unilaterally terminated the US-Soviet Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, refused to ratify the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty, then withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and Shorter-Range Missiles and the Treaty on Open Skies,” he said.
Shoigu in his speech said that in order to contain China, a front is forming. Tensions around the so-called Taiwan problem and territorial disputes in the South China Sea and East China Sea are being deliberately escalated, he said.
India is also a part of the Quad grouping which also includes the US, Japan and Australia which China views as a front against it.
Besides India and Russia, other SCO member states including China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan participated in the meeting. All ministers attended the meeting in-person, except in the case of Pakistan. From Pakistan’s side, Special Assistant to Pakistan PM on Defence Affairs Malik Ahmed Khan attended the meeting virtually.