The
Defense Minister, Rajnath Singh, has on Friday held a telephonic conversation
with his South Korean counterpart, Jeong Kyeong-Doo, with a focus on further
ramping up bilateral defense cooperation by launching joint production lines
for military hardware and key platforms.
South Korea has been a major supplier of
weapons and military equipment to India for past several years. In 2019, the
two countries finalized a roadmap for cooperation in joint production of various
land and naval systems. About two months ago, the government announced relaxing
foreign direct investment norms in defense manufacturing by allowing 74 per
cent FDI under the automatic route with a view to attract overseas players in
the sector. The telephonic conversation took place in the midst of a tense
border row between India and China. It is not immediately known whether the
issue figured in the conversation. A statement issued by the Defense Ministry
states that views on the regional developments of shared security interests
were also discussed during the telephonic call.
“The two ministers reviewed the progress
on various bilateral defense cooperation initiatives and expressed commitment
to further promotes defense cooperation between the armed forces”, a government
officer said. It was also agreed to take forward the agreements in the field of
defense industry and defense technology cooperation between India and Republic
of Korea. The two nations also discussed the ways to launch joint production
lines for military hardware and key platforms.