Rajnath Singh reaffirms India's commitment to strengthening defence ties with Russia "despite geopolitical challenges"

Moscow [Russia], December 10 : Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, held the 21st meeting of India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission with his Russian counterpart, Andrey Belousov, during which he discussed ways to deepen cooperation and reaffirmed India's commitment to strengthening close contacts with Russia.
The Defence Minister called for further collaboration to consolidate and deepen the defence aspects of the countries' and emphasised on further deepening the interaction between both nations despite "geopolitical challenges and great pressure."
"Despite geopolitical challenges and great pressure on India, both in public and in private, India has made a conscious decision that the country will not only continue close contacts with Russia but will also deepen and expand our interaction. We will always be with our Russian colleagues," Singh said as quoted by Russian Defence Ministry.
"We strive to work together in order to consolidate and deepen the defence sphere of our particularly privileged strategic partnership," it added.
Taking to social media platform X, the Defence Minister said he had a "very productive meeting," adding that India is committed to further strengthen India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership.
"Had a very productive IRIGC-M&MTC meeting with my Russian counterpart Andrey Belousov in Moscow. Reviewing the full range of bilateral defence ties, we discussed ways to deepen cooperation between both the countries. We are committed to further strengthen India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership," Singh stated in a post on X.
https://x.com/rajnathsingh/status/1866471724159578174
The Defence Minister further expressed his gratitude for the congratulations he received from his Russian counterpart following his reappointment to the post.
He noted that the relation between India and Russia is in "full swing" and that the progress of cooperation was not only in the bilateral sphere but also through multilateral platforms such as the G20, BRICS, and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
"You have sent congratulations on the occasion of my reappointment as the Minister of Defence; I would like to thank you very much for this. This is our first personal meeting," the Defence Minister remarked at the meeting.
"Our relations are in full swing," Singh added.
Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov also highlighted the "long-standing, trusted" relationship between India and Russia and noted the significance of the meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, including the talks in Moscow in July and at the BRICS summit in Kazan in October.
Belousov stated that these discussions have further deepened the strategic partnership, including in the defence sector.
"Russia and India have a strong, time-honoured friendship based on mutual respect. The trusting relations of the leaders of the two states play a key role in strengthening bilateral ties. The results of the meetings of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, and the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, Narendra Modi, in July in Moscow and in October at the BRICS summit in Kazan served to deepen the particularly privileged strategic partnership, to include in the defence sphere," he said as quoted by the Russian Defence Ministry.
"We are committed to implementing all the agreements reached at the highest level... I am confident that our meeting will help to strengthen Russian-Indian relations in the field of defence and security," Belousov added.
Belousov also praised the high level of military cooperation between the two countries, particularly within multilateral frameworks such as the SCO and the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM Plus).
"I am confident that our meeting will help to strengthen Russian-Indian relations in the field of defence and security," Belousov said.
Earlier, the Indian delegation, led by Union Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh, was welcomed by his Russian counterpart, Andrei Belousov, at an official ceremony that included a Guard of Honour and a military orchestra.