Rajnath Singh Arrives in Cebu for 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers Meet

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Cebu for the 13th ADMM-Plus meeting to discuss regional security and hold bilateral talks with global counterparts to strengthen the Act East Policy and foster stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

Rajnath Singh Arrives in Philippines for ADMM-Plus

Cebu [Philippines], October 28 (ANI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Cebu, Philippines, on Tuesday night to attend the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus), where he will address shared regional and international security issues and hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from the United States, Japan, Australia and other participating nations.

Upon his arrival at Cebu airport, Singh received a ceremonial welcome from M Gen Fabian M Pedregosa PAF (Retd), Undersecretary of the Department of National Defence of the Philippines. Indian Ambassador to the Philippines Harsh Kumar Jain and Defence Attaché Captain ChandraKant Kothari were also present to welcome the Defence Minister. Singh later interacted with members of the Indian community and Filipino nationals upon arriving at his hotel.

Strategic Engagement and Security Discussions

On Thursday, the Defence Minister will represent India at the ADMM-Plus meeting and address the forum on common regional and international security challenges. Before departing for Cebu, Singh reiterated India's commitment to strengthening its engagement with ASEAN and promoting stability across the Indo-Pacific region.

In a post on X, he said, “India is firmly committed to ASEAN centrality and the peace, stability, and collective growth of the Indo-Pacific region under our Act East Policy.”

Bilateral Meetings on the Sidelines

On the sidelines of the meeting, Singh is scheduled to hold bilateral discussions with defence counterparts from several participating countries, including the host nation, the Philippines, as well as the United States, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam and South Korea. (ANI)

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