New Delhi, March 18 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a meeting with his Netherlands counterpart, Ruben Brekelmans, in New Delhi on Tuesday, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a statement.
The two Defence Ministers discussed elevating the bilateral cooperation in areas like defence, security, information exchanges, Indo-Pacific and new and emerging technologies, an MOD official said.
According to the MoD, during this meeting they explored the possibilities of collaboration in shipbuilding, equipment and space sectors.
For this, the two Defence Ministers focused on optimising the complementariness in skills, technology and scale of the two countries.
They also discussed working together in domains like Artificial Intelligence and related technologies, besides connecting the respective defence technology research institutes and organisations.
After the meeting, Rajnath Singh shared a post on X and said that India looks forward to further elevating its defence partnership with the Netherlands.
Besides this, a bilateral meeting was held in New Delhi between Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, Chief of Naval Staff, and the Chief of the Royal New Zealand Navy, Rear Admiral Garin Golding.
The discussions between the Naval Chiefs were focused on enhancing naval ties, joint training initiatives, and maritime cooperation.
Rear Admiral Garin Golding, is in India on an official visit from March 16 to 21, towards strengthening maritime cooperation and bilateral ties between the two navies.
His engagements include high-level discussions and operational interactions at New Delhi and Mumbai.
On March 17 (Monday), Rear Admiral Golding had attended the Raisina Dialogue.
On Tuesday, he laid a wreath at the National War Memorial, paying tribute to India's fallen heroes. This was followed by a ceremonial Guard of Honour and a bilateral meeting with Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi.
The New Zealand Navy Chief will also be interacting with senior defence leadership, including Chief of the Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Army Staff Manoj Pande, Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal A.P. Singh and the Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, reaffirming New Zealand's commitment to regional security.
He will also visit Mumbai where he will interact with the personnel of the Western Naval Command, visit indigenous destroyer INS Surat, and explore avenues for future collaboration in ship maintenance and technology.
On March 20, a significant highlight will be the reception onboard HMNZS Te Kaha, (Royal New Zealand Navy ship) hosted by the New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, further strengthening India-New Zealand maritime relations.
Rear Admiral Garin Golding's visit marks a significant step in the evolution of India-New Zealand defence relations, fostering deeper naval cooperation and reinforcing mutual interests in the Indo-Pacific, the official added.
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