India, Japan Ink Maritime Security Pact, Eye Joint Naval Shipbuilding As Rajnath Singh, Shinjiro Koizumi Hold Talks

New Delhi, August 20: Defence Ministers Rajnath Singh of India and Shinjiro Koizumi of Japan convened a bilateral meeting in the national capital to strengthen cooperation across key sectors, with a focus on maritime security and the Indo-Pacific region. In a joint statement, both ministers reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining the freedom and openness of the Indo-Pacific.

They discussed the current global security environment and reiterated their opposition to unilateral attempts to alter the status quo affecting navigation rights. The two ministers also agreed to deepen operational cooperation in maritime security and exchanged perspectives on enhancing collaboration in the field. They inked a Memorandum of Arrangement on Maritime Security Cooperation, outlining plans to expand collaboration in Search and Rescue (SAR), Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations, and coordination for the protection of Sea Lines of Communications.

Additionally, India and Japan will assess opportunities for joint development in naval shipbuilding and design, leveraging Japan's technological expertise and India's production capabilities. The ministers also welcomed the expansion of bilateral army and naval exercises, as well as coordination for air exercises, and expressed their commitment to deepening defence R&D cooperation between DRDO and ATLA.