Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a series of bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Belarus on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Tuesday.

These engagements were aimed at further strengthening India’s defence cooperation with the three nations.

In his meeting with Kyrgyz Defence Minister Major General Mukambetov Ruslan Mustafaevich, both sides discussed avenues to deepen their existing defence ties. As part of India’s humanitarian and disaster relief outreach, Singh gifted two Bhishm Aarogya Maitri Health Cubes to the Kyrgyz side. 

These cubes, indigenously developed in India, are designed to support humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and search and rescue operations during natural calamities.

He also announced the completion of a project that provided 12 sets of computer systems each to IT Centres at the Kyrgyz Military Institute in Bishkek and Military Unit 36806 in Osh. This was followed by the successful installation of wargaming software and on-the-job training for Kyrgyz Armed Forces personnel.

During his meeting with the Defence Minister of Kazakhstan, Singh emphasised that defence cooperation between the two countries spans diverse sectors and represents a vital pillar of their bilateral partnership. The discussions highlighted the importance of continuing to expand collaboration across multiple areas of defence.

In talks with Belarusian Defence Minister Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin, Singh underlined India’s high priority on building a mutually beneficial partnership with Belarus. He identified capacity building and training as key areas of cooperation, reflecting India’s interest in strengthening defence ties through knowledge and skills exchange.

Singh also briefly interacted with Chinese Defence Minister Admiral Dong Jun and Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov. These exchanges included sharing views on the regional and global security landscape, with particular focus on developments in West Asia.

Earlier in the day, Singh and other Defence Ministers paid a courtesy call on Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov. The ministers also laid wreaths at Victory Square in Bishkek, underscoring the ceremonial and symbolic aspects of their visit alongside substantive defence discussions.

ANI