Hosting the Defence Minister’s Conclave on the sidelines of the Aero India event, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said India stands for a rules-based international order, in which “the primordial instinct of the might being right is replaced by the civilisational concept of fairness, cooperation, respect and equality amongst all sovereign nations”.
Addressing over 160 delegates from several countries, including 27 Defence Ministers and Deputy Defence Ministers, 15 Defence and Service Chiefs and 12 permanent secretaries from 80 countries, Singh described collective security as “sine qua non (essential condition)” for development and prosperity.
Rajnath Singh exuded confidence that through Aero India, the Defence Ministers would have gained knowledge about the robust defence manufacturing ecosystem being created in India. He urged them to share their requirements and expectations through enquiries, comments and feedback, which will provide the industry a significant learning opportunity.
The broad theme of the conclave was ‘Shared Prosperity through Enhanced Engagements in Defence’ (SPEED). It sought to address aspects related to deepening cooperation for capacity building (through investments, R&D, joint ventures, co-development, co-production and provisioning of defence equipment), training, space, AI and maritime security to grow together. Singh stated that the theme of the event ‘SPEED’ characterises the present era wherein geopolitical and security realities are shifting at hitherto unwitnessed speed. He called for real-time collaboration to respond to such fast-paced changes.
Ravi Shankar
