Daijiworld Media Network - Qingdao
Qingdao, Jun 26: Defence minister Rajnath Singh held significant bilateral talks with his Russian and Belarusian counterparts on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Qingdao, China, addressing regional security, terrorism, and defence cooperation.
Singh first met Belarusian Defence Minister Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin, describing their conversation as an “enriching interaction” in a post on social media platform X. The meeting highlighted growing defence dialogue between the two countries and comes as Belarus moves closer to full SCO membership following the signing of its Memorandum of Obligation under India’s presidency of the group in 2023.
In another key meeting, Singh sat down with Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov, reaffirming the enduring defence partnership between New Delhi and Moscow. “We had insightful deliberations on boosting India-Russia defence ties,” Singh said on X.
India and Russia share decades of robust cooperation in defence, structured through the IRIGC-M&MTC mechanism—a high-level framework co-chaired by the two Defence Ministers. Their collaboration spans major projects including the supply of S-400 systems, licensed production of T-90 tanks and Su-30 MKI aircraft, deliveries of MiG-29 and Kamov helicopters, the INS Vikramaditya aircraft carrier, BrahMos missile systems, and ongoing AK-203 rifle production in India.
Both nations have transitioned from a traditional buyer-seller relationship to co-development and joint production of cutting-edge defence technologies—reflecting a deeper strategic convergence.
Addressing the broader SCO assembly earlier, Singh urged member nations to unite against terrorism, extremism, and radical ideologies. Citing the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, which killed 26 civilians including a Nepali national, he emphasized India’s right to self-defence and highlighted Operation Sindoor, a precision airstrike campaign launched in response against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
“Terrorism's epicentres are no longer beyond reach,” Singh said, warning that double standards on terror must be abandoned. He called on SCO countries to hold state sponsors of terrorism accountable and reaffirmed India’s zero-tolerance stance.
This visit also marks a diplomatic milestone—Singh is the first Indian Union Minister to visit China since the 2020 military standoff at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, a conflict that had deeply strained bilateral relations.