India and Singapore have signed a strategic partnership agreement under which both the countries' navies will support and cooperate with each other for submarine rescue missions. It is one of the major steps taken by the Indian government to strengthen ties with South East/Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries.

The decision was taken during a defence ministerial dialogue in the national capital. Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh co-chaired the fifth India-Singapore Defence Ministers' Dialogue along with Ng Eng Hen, Singapore Minister for Defence,

Defence and security engagements between India and Singapore have broadened significantly in scale and scope across all three services of the armed forces as well as in the areas of defence technology and industry. Both countries have also found common ground on multilateral fora and engagements.

"During the dialogue, both the ministers discussed new areas of potential cooperation and articulated their vision in this direction," a joint statement of both the ministers stated.

They further welcomed the initiatives to expand bilateral defence cooperation, including the implementing agreement on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) cooperation in August 2020 for the two armed forces to have closer operational collaboration in response to disasters and capacity-building activities of mutual interest. The cyber agencies of both the armed forces have also stepped up engagements.

The ministers were pleased that the Indian Navy and the Republic of Singapore Navy successfully conducted the 27th edition of Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX) and also participated in the second edition of the Singapore-India-Thailand Maritime Exercise (SITMEX), both held in November 2020.

These exercises enhanced the interoperability among the navies and underscored the shared responsibility of the countries to work together to keep the sea lines of communication open.

 (IANS)