Cebu [Philippines], October 28 (ANI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday held a meeting with his Japanese counterpart, Shinjiro Koizumi, on the sidelines of the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Cebu, the Philippines, and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral defence cooperation.

In a post on X, Rajnath Singh said, 'Happy to meet with the Minister of Defense of Japan, Mr. Koizumi Shinjiro, on the sidelines of the 13th ADMM-Plus in Cebu, Philippines.'

https://x.com/rajnathsingh/status/2115361088032370983

He added, 'Had productive discussions on reviewing our ongoing bilateral defense cooperation and exploring new avenues to further strengthen the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership.'

Highlighting the importance of cooperation between the two countries, the Defence Minister said, 'Our shared commitment remains vital for a free, open, and peaceful Indo-Pacific region.'

Rajnath Singh welcomed Shinjiro Koizumi and greeted him in Japanese. Recalling their previous meeting, Rajnath Singh expressed his pleasure at the progress in bilateral relations and reaffirmed India's commitment to deepening cooperation between the defence forces of the two countries. 

Japan's Defence Minister also thanked Rajnath Singh for the warm welcome and the meeting. He assured of Japan's commitment to strengthening cooperation between the two countries across various areas, including defence.

Before this meeting, Rajnath Singh held bilateral talks with US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, followed by a meeting with his Australian counterpart, Richard Marles. He is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from the host country, the Philippines, as well as Singapore, Vietnam, and South Korea, to discuss defence cooperation and key regional and international security issues. 

Rajnath Singh is in Cebu, the Philippines, to attend the ADMM-Plus. On Thursday, he will represent India at the meeting and address the forum on shared regional and international security issues. Ahead of the meeting, he is holding bilateral discussions with his counterparts from participating countries.

The ADMM is the highest defence consultative and cooperative mechanism in ASEAN. ADMM-Plus is a platform for ASEAN member states (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam) and its eight Dialogue Partners (India, US, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand) to strengthen security and defence cooperation.

India became the dialogue partner of ASEAN in 1992 and the inaugural ADMM-Plus was convened in Hanoi, Vietnam on October 12, 2010. Since 2017, ADMM-Plus Ministers have been meeting annually to bolster defence cooperation amongst ASEAN and the Plus countries.  

The Philippines is the chair of ADMM-Plus for 2026. Under the construct of ADMM-Plus, India is co-chairing the Experts Working Group on Counter-Terrorism with Malaysia for the cycle 2024-2027. India's active participation in the ADMM-Plus mechanisms underscores the deepening defence diplomacy in Southeast Asia under the Act East policy, aimed at ensuring peace, stability and collective growth in the region. (ANI)