Rajnath Singh discusses bilateral cooperation with German counterpart Boris Pistorius
Germany's defence minister is visiting India for talks, with the purchase of six stealth conventional submarines expected to be on the agenda.
PremiumDefence Minister Rajnath Singh engaged in extensive discussions with German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, with the primary objective of exploring avenues to enhance bilateral defence and strategic cooperation.
Rajnath Singh in a tweet, said, “Had fruitful discussions with the German Defence Minister, Mr Boris Pistorius. His passion for Yoga is commendable. We discussed regional issues and our shared priorities. We also agreed to further strengthen defence cooperation between India and Germany."
The German defence minister is on a four-day visit to India.
As per a report by PTI citing sources, it is expected that India's plan to procure six stealth conventional submarines at a cost of around ₹43,000 crore would figure in the talks between the two defence ministers.
One of the contenders of the contract is Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS).
Before travelling to India from Indonesia, Pistorius stated that India's continuing dependence on Russian weapons is not in Germany's interest, as reported by German News Agency Deutsche Welle (DW).
"It is not up to Germany to change that on our own," Pistorius said while replying to a question on India's dependence on Russian weaponry.
"This is an issue we have to solve jointly with other partners. But of course, we can't have an interest in the long run that India is so dependent on Russia's delivery of weapons or other materials," he said.
"I want to send a signal that we are willing to support our partners, our reliable partners like Indonesia, like India," he said.
(With inputs from agencies)
"Exciting news! Mint is now on WhatsApp Channels 🚀 Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest financial insights!" Click here!
