According to the Times of India, Indian Defense Minister Singh hosted the “Indian Ocean Regional Defense Ministers Meeting” on the 4th to urge Indian Ocean countries to regard India as a “more important security partner” and promote Indian-made weapons.
The conference was held during the 2021 Indian Air Show.
According to the Indian Ministry of Defense, 18 of the 28 countries invited were represented from their countries, 4 of which were attended by defense ministerial officials, including Maldives, Comoros, Iran and Madagascar, and the rest were attended by diplomats in India or by videoconference. India is located in the center of the Indian Ocean, with a coastline of 7,500 kilometers.
In accordance with Prime Minister Modi’s vision of “for the security and economic growth of all people in the region”, India is leading the establishment of an international platform for space and defense leaders to communicate and cooperate.
Singh said at the meeting on the 4th that India is ready to provide weapons systems to countries in the Indian Ocean region, including various types of missile systems, light fighters/helicopters, multi-purpose light transport aircraft, warships, artillery systems, etc.
He said that India’s aerospace and defense industry provides important opportunities for all foreign companies in the supply chain to take cooperation to new heights to promote regional stability and common prosperity.
The 2021 India Air Show was held in Bangalore from 3rd to 5th, which India hopes to demonstrate its defense weapon manufacturing capabilities and export it to the outside world.
Singh said in his opening speech on the 3rd that the Indian Ocean region is India’s influence, but India’s interests are not only at sea.
He said that India plans to invest 130 billion US dollars in upgrading the level of national defense modernization in the next seven or eight years, aiming to improve the domestic manufacturing capacity of large and complex weapons and achieve the dual goal of “self-sufficient and exportable” weapons.
According to reports, Singh has not named China to mention the situation on the Sino-India border, saying that India is “alarmed to any attempt to change the status quo of the disputed border and will frustrate such attempts at all costs”.
