New Delhi [India], October 22 (HBTV): Dr. Ng Eng Hen, Singapore's Minister of Defence, has begun his three-day visit to India by laying a wreath at the National War Memorial in New Delhi. 

As part of his visit, Dr. Ng Eng Hen on Tuesday will co-chair the sixth India-Singapore Defence Ministers' Dialogue in New Delhi, with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh.

A day before, the Ministry of Defence in a press release had said that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Singapore counterpart Dr Ng Eng Hen will co-chair the sixth India-Singapore Defence Ministers' Dialogue in New Delhi on October 22, 2024.

"The meeting aims to carry forward defence cooperation between the two countries. Both sides will also exchange views on regional and global issues of shared interest," the Ministry of Defence said.

The release further said that India and Singapore share a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The bilateral defence relations form a significant pillar to this collaboration. The engagements have diversified to include wide-ranging contacts between the Services, military-to-military exchanges, high-level visits, capacity building and training programmes, cooperation in UN Peacekeeping, ship visits and bilateral exercises. 

Inaugurated in 2016, the India-Singapore Defence Ministers' Dialogue is a key platform to strengthen bilateral defence cooperation between Singapore and India. Dr Ng's visit to India underscores the strong and long-standing bilateral defence relationship between Singapore and India. 

Singapore is a key pillar of India's Act East Policy, and an important partner of the Indo-Pacific vision. Defence and security partnership between the two countries is an important factor of stability in the Indo-Pacific region, the release by Ministry of Defence said. 

Notably, the Singaporean Defence Minister will be on a visit to India from October 21-23, 2024. The fifth edition of the Defence Ministers' Dialogue took place in January 2021 through virtual teleconference. 

(ANI)