India and Africa are important stakeholders for a safe and secure maritime environment, says Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said India and the African countries are important stakeholders in ensuring a safe and secure maritime environment, especially in the Indian Ocean , and also assured to continue to intensify and deepen engagements with the continent.

Singh said this at the India-Africa Defence Dialogue which was held on the sidelines of DefExpo 2022 in Gandhinagar on Tuesday. "Gandhinagar Declaration" was also adopted at the Dialogue to enhance cooperation in the fields of training and military exercises.

The Defence Minister also reiterated India’s support to Africa to deal with challenges of conflict, terrorism and violent extremism. “India remains united with African countries in their quest for peace, security, stability, growth and prosperity. Our partnership with Africa is centered on the ten guiding principles articulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address to Parliament of Uganda in 2018. He had clearly stated that Africa will be at the top of our priorities. We will continue to intensify and deepen our engagements with Africa. Apart from the goals of developmental, commercial and technological partnerships that India wants to forge with African nations, the statement also covered cooperation in strengthening capabilities in combating terrorism and extremism, supporting UN peacekeeping missions and work for open and free oceans.”

With an eye to meet the $5 billion export target, Singh invited African countries to explore Indian defence equipment and technologies. “Peace, security and development are inter-related. Security is essential for enabling development in the region. We have created a robust public and private defence industry. A defence manufacturing ecosystem has been created in India which has the advantage of abundant technical manpower. Our defence industry can work with you to fulfil your defence requirements,” he told his African counterparts.

Fifty African countries, including 20 Defence Ministers, seven Chief of Defence Staff/Service Chiefs and eight Permanent Secretaries participated in the Dialogue, indicating the importance accorded to the engagement in defence and security. Singh and his deputy minister Ajay Bhatt met with the visiting African Ministers where issues related to defence and bilateral relations were discussed.

Don’t believe in hierarchy

The Defence Minister also stressed that India does not believe in a hierarchical world order where few countries are considered superior to others. “We do not believe in making or becoming a client or satellite state, and so, when we partner any nation, it is on the basis of sovereign equality and mutual respect. Forging relations comes naturally to India, as we work towards mutual economic development,” he said.

He was of the view that the global world order deserves to be democratised more and pitched for making the UN Security Council more representative. He said this will provide it with greater legitimacy, thereby sustaining a global order wherein the principles of international peace, security and order are respected universally. A special cover on IADD and a book on ‘India-Africa Defence Cooperation: Opportunities and Challenges’ were released during the event. He also held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Rwanda, Armenia and the Maldives.

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