Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Held Bilateral Discussion with Mangolian Counterpart

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held bilateral talks with Mongolian Defence Minister Saikhanbayar Gursed in Ulaanbaatar and discussed ways to further expand bilateral defence cooperation and other regional and global issues of mutual interest.

The Defence Minister wrote on his Twitter handle, "Productive interaction with Mongolia's Defence Minister, Mr Saikhanbayar Gursed in Ulaanbaatar. We had in-depth deliberations on adding further momentum to India-Mongolia defence cooperation."

Before initiating the bilateral talks with the Mongolian Defence minister, Rajnath Singh inspected the ceremonial guard of honour in the Mongolian capital city.

He also inaugurated the Cyber Security Training Centre at National Defence University in Ulaanbaatar. The centre built with assistance from the Government of India is a one-of-its-kind cyber-related international cooperation project which will be instrumental in imparting cyber security training to the Mongolian Armed Forces.

Rajnath Singh also met with the Speaker of Mongolian Parliament, Gombojavyn Zandanshatar and complimented him on his consistent support to promote and expand the shared heritage of Buddhism.

Besides, the Defence minister called upon the Mongolian President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh and expressed commitment to deepening the multifaceted Strategic Partnership with Mongolia.

"Excellent meeting with the President of Mongolia, H.E. U. Khurelsukh in Ulaanbaatar. Recalled my last meeting with him in 2018, when he was the Prime Minister of the country. We are fully committed to further deepening our multifaceted Strategic Partnership with Mongolia," Rajnath tweeted.

Rajnath Singh embarked on a five-day visit to Mongolia on Monday to enhance the strategic partnership and defence cooperation with the East Asian countries. According to the Defence Ministry, Rajnath Singh will stay in Mongolia from September, 5-7, 2022.

The visit is the first-ever visit by an Indian Defence Minister to Mongolia and will further consolidate the defence cooperation and strategic partnership between the two countries, the official statement from the Ministry stated.

India and Mongolia share a strategic partnership and defence is a key pillar of this partnership. The two democracies have a common interest in fostering peace and prosperity in the entire region.

The bilateral defence engagements with Mongolia have been expanding to include wide-ranging contacts between the two countries, including Joint Working Group meetings, military-to-military exchanges, high-level visits, capacity building and training programmes and bilateral exercises.