New Delhi:

India and Japan on Friday deliberated on an agreement to provide reciprocal supplies and services for greater interoperability between the militaries of the two strategic partners, amid shared concerns over China’s military power in strategic waters .

The proposed agreement was discussed during a meeting between Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and his Japanese counterpart, General Nakatani, which took place on the sidelines of a regional security conclave in Vientiane, the Laos capital .

The Defense Ministry said the two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in co-production and co-development of military equipment.

“To further enhance interoperability between Indian and Japanese forces, the two ministers discussed a reciprocal supply and services agreement between the two countries and participation of the military in various bilateral and multilateral exercises,” it said. indicated the press release.

The reciprocal supply and services agreement, if concluded, would allow the militaries of the two countries to use their respective bases to repair and replenish their supplies, while facilitating the intensification of overall defense cooperation .

Rajnath Singh and General Nakatani also agreed to explore new areas of cooperation in the aviation domain, the ministry said.

Both sides reiterated the importance of Indo-Japanese cooperation in defense industry and technology.

“Recalling the milestone of signing the Memorandum of Implementation (MoI) of the UNICORN mast in Japan last week, the two sides agreed on enhanced cooperation in co-production and co-development in the manufacturing sector. defense manufacturing,” he said.

The MoI was signed for the co-development of the UNICORN (Unified Complex Radio Antenna) mast, a key piece of equipment enabling warships to increase their stealth characteristics.

Rajnath Singh also held a separate bilateral meeting with Philippine Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro.

“The two sides agreed to expand and deepen their cooperation by exchanging subject matter experts, in the defense industry, in the fight against terrorism, in the space and maritime fields,” the ministry said .

Before leaving for Delhi, Singh visited Wat Sisakat (a Buddhist temple) in Vientiane and sought blessings from Mahaveth Chittakaro, abbot of the Sisaket temple.

Rajnath Singh arrived in Vientiane on Wednesday, mainly to attend a meeting of the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus).

The ADMM-Plus is a platform bringing together ten ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries and its eight dialogue partners: India, China, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States.

Laos hosted the meeting in its capacity as current chair of ADMM-Plus.

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