Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Chinese counterpart attend SCO Defence Ministers' meet in Bishkek

Bishkek, April 29: A good diplomacy maintaining is not only India’s quality but culture too. This legacy was extended today when Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman held a bilateral meeting with her Chinese counterpart General Wei Fenghe on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' Meet.

 

Regional and bilateral security issues were discussed by both sides during the meeting.

Raksha Mantri is currently in Kyrgyzstan on a three-day visit to attend the SCO meet, along with holding bilaterals with a handful of other member-countries on the summit's sidelines.

The Minister is scheduled to attend the SCO ministerial meeting later today. The eight member-states will discuss ways to increase cooperation in combatting terrorism, amongst other issues, during the meet.

The current SCO meeting is being held in the run-up to the SCO summit, which is expected to take place from June 14 to June 15 this year.

 

Last year, India participated in the SCO Defence Ministers meeting for the first time. Speaking at that meeting, Sitharaman had highlighted India's keen interest in developing an expanded partnership with the broader Eurasian region.

In 2018, India for the first time participated in the SCO defence exercises. The joint exercise was conducted by the Central Military Commission of Russia at Chebarkul, Chelyabinsk. The exercise involved tactical level operations in an international counterinsurgency or counter-terrorism environment under the SCO Charter.