Rajnath Singh meets Vietnam, Malaysia counterparts; inks 10-year defence pact with US in Kuala Lumpur

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met his Vietnamese and Malaysian counterparts in Kuala Lumpur to strengthen defence ties and attended ASEAN defence meetings. He also signed a 10-year ‘Framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership’ with US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met his Vietnamese counterpart, Gen. Phan Van Giang, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Saturday.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 19th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) and ahead of the 12th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus).

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Expressing satisfaction over the discussions, Singh posted on X, “Happy to have met the Defence Minister Phan Van Giang in Kuala Lumpur.” The two ministers reviewed ongoing defence cooperation between India and Vietnam and explored ways to further strengthen strategic and security ties between the two nations.

Earlier on Friday, Singh also held a bilateral meeting with Malaysia’s Defence Minister, Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, in Kuala Lumpur. The two leaders discussed avenues to enhance the India–Malaysia defence partnership.

“Had a very good conversation with the Defence Minister of Malaysia, Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin in Kuala Lumpur. Discussed ways to further strengthen the India-Malaysia defence partnership,” Singh said in a post on X.

The second edition of ASEAN-India Defence Ministers’ Informal Meeting, under the chairmanship of Malaysia, is also taking place wherein Defence Ministers from all ASEAN member countries will take part. The meeting aims to further strengthen defence and security cooperation among ASEAN member states and India and advance the Act East Policy, the Ministry of Defence stated.

Singh also met US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, where the two leaders signed a 10-year ‘Framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership’, heralding a new era in deepening the defence ties between the two nations.

“Had a fruitful meeting with my US counterpart Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in Kuala Lumpur. We signed the 10 years ‘Framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership’. This will usher in a new era in our already strong defence partnership,” Singh posted on X following the meeting.

“This Defence Framework will provide policy direction to the entire spectrum of the India-US Defence Relationship. It is a signal of our growing strategic convergence and will herald a new decade of partnership,” the post added.

Singh arrived in Malaysia on Thursday for a two-day visit to attend the 12th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus). India’s High Commissioner to Malaysia, B N Reddy, received Singh at the Subang Airbase.