During his two-day visit to Malaysia, Singh is expected to hold bilateral meetings with counterparts from the participating ADMM-Plus nations and engage with the host country's senior leadership to discuss key regional and security issues
Rajnath Singh. File pic
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday departed for Kuala Lumpur to participate in the 12th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus), scheduled to be held in Malaysia on Saturday, November 1, news agency ANI reported.
During Rajnath Singh’s two-day visit to Malaysia, he is expected to hold bilateral meetings with counterparts from the participating ADMM-Plus nations and engage with Malaysia's senior leadership to discuss key regional and security issues.
ADMM serves as the highest defence consultative and cooperative mechanism within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The ADMM-Plus framework brings together ASEAN member states, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam, along with eight Dialogue Partners: India, the United States, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
Together, they want to improve defence cooperation and regional security. India joined ASEAN as a Dialogue Partner in 1992, and on October 12, 2010, the first ADMM-Plus was held in Hanoi, Vietnam.
The ADMM-Plus has been held every year since 2017 to improve regional cooperation in defence and security issues.
India is reiterating its active participation in advancing regional peace and security by co-chairing the Experts' Working Group on Counter Terrorism with Malaysia during the 2024–2027 cycle within the current framework.
Moreover, the second edition of the ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise is also planned for 2026, highlighting India's expanding defence partnership with ASEAN nations.
In his recent virtual address at the ASEAN-India Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised cooperation in the areas of maritime security, counterterrorism, and the early assessment of the ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
Leaders reviewed the state of the ASEAN-India relations at the summit and talked about fresh plans to improve their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
In keeping with Malaysia's chairmanship theme of "Inclusivity and Sustainability", Prime Minister Modi declared that India would continue to support the ASEAN-India Plan of Action (2026-2030).
He also welcomed the adoption of the ASEAN-India Joint Leaders' Statement on Sustainable Tourism, marking the ASEAN-India Year of Tourism.
Earlier this week, during his visit to Kuala Lumpur, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reaffirmed India's commitment to ensuring a peaceful, progressive, and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
Addressing the East Asia Summit in Malaysia, he stated, "India values EAS' contribution to peace, progress and prosperity," expressing optimism about the summit's outcomes.
(With inputs from ANI)
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
