Singapore: India and Singapore on Tuesday reaffirmed their strong and long-standing defence ties as Indian Army chief General M M Naravane held talks with top Singaporean military leadership and discussed the roadmap to further enhance bilateral military cooperation.

The Chief of Army Staff, who is on a three-day visit to the city-state, called on Singapore’s Minister for Defence, Dr Ng Eng Hen, and discussed regional geopolitical developments. In the meeting, “the strong & long-standing bilateral defence relationship between both Nations was reaffirmed,” the Indian Army’s Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADG PI) tweeted.

Gen Naravane also called on Singapore’s Army chief Brigadier General David Neo after inspecting the Guard of Honour at the Ministry of Defence and discussed “the roadmap to further enhance defence cooperation between both nations,” it said.

He complimented the Guard for an “impeccable turnout and parade”.

After meeting the top military leadership, he visited the Infantry Gunnery and Tactical Simulator Centre at Pasir Laba Camp. The Army chief witnessed the state-of-the-art simulators, which enable troops to hone their weaponry skills and commanders to improve tactical decision-making abilities.

On Wednesday, the Indian Army chief will visit the Changi Regional HADR Coordination Centre and Information Fusion Centre at Changi Naval Base. He will also deliver a speech at the Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College’s Distinguished Speaker’s Dialogue titled, “India’s Strategic Perspective”.

Gen Naravane, on the first day of his tour on Monday, visited the Kranji war memorial in Singapore and paid tributes to those who laid down their lives in the line of duty during World War-II. He also visited the Battle Box Bunker at Fort Canning, an authentic World War II secret Command Centre built 9 metres underground in the late 1936 by the British forces.

Gen Naravane’s visit underscores the strong and long-standing bilateral defence relations between Singapore and India.

The Singapore Army and the Indian Army interact regularly through bilateral exercises, professional exchanges, visits and cross-attendance of courses.

These mutually beneficial interactions have deepened the bilateral defence relationship, enhanced mutual understanding and strengthened the cooperation between the two armies, Singapore’s Defence Ministry said in a statement.