Mon Oct 28 20:18:59 UTC 2024: ## India and Singapore Strengthen Defense Ties with Extended Agreement and Collaboration on Equipment
**New Delhi, October 22, 2024:** India and Singapore have further solidified their defense partnership by agreeing to extend their existing ‘Joint Military Training-Army’ agreement for another five years. The two countries also expressed interest in jointly developing and producing defense equipment, marking a significant step towards closer collaboration.
The agreement was reached during the sixth India-Singapore Defence Ministerial Dialogue, held in New Delhi on Tuesday. The dialogue was co-chaired by India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Singaporean counterpart, Dr Ng Eng Hen.
Both ministers acknowledged the deep-rooted and enduring defense relations between the two nations, built upon shared values of regional peace, stability, and security. The meeting holds significant importance as India celebrates a decade of its Act East policy, a strategy that has seen Singapore play a key role in promoting economic cooperation and cultural ties across the region.
The ministers highlighted the potential for collaboration in emerging areas like cyber security and expressed their commitment to enhancing industry cooperation, including exploring joint ventures in niche domains like automation and artificial intelligence.
Further strengthening their bilateral relationship, India and Singapore recently elevated their partnership to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the city-state.
Dr. Ng’s visit to India from October 21-23 included a wreath-laying ceremony at the National War Memorial and a ceremonial welcome with a Tri-Service Guard of Honour.
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