Singapore, India sign submarine rescue agreement |
Singapore and India on 20th January signed an agreement for their navies to extend rescue facilities to each other`s submarines at a meeting between the countries` defense ministers. At the 5th India-Singapore Defence Ministers` Dialogue held via video conference attended by the two countries` Defence Ministers. Ng Eng Hen of Singapore and Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh witnessed the signing of the Implementing Agreement on Submarine Rescue Support and Cooperation between the two navies. Dr. Ng in an interview released by the Ministry of Defence said that the signing of the agreement reflected mutual trust and interoperability. He said, "When submarines are in distress, it can be a matter of life and death for the crew. This submarine rescue implementing agreement provides some assurance that depending on where submarines are, you can have partners that you can trust to extend rescue facilities when you need them. So I think this will be welcomed,". Singapore currently has submarine rescue agreements with a number of other countries, including Australia, Indonesia, South Korea, the United States and Vietnam. During the meeting, Dr. Ng and Mr. Singh reaffirmed the strong and long standing bilateral defense relationship and both countries` commitment to sustain defense cooperation despite the challenges posed by the pandemic. They also discussed regional security developments and acknowledged the good progress made in cooperation across the three services, and in defense technology and multilateral engagements. Both ministers conveyed their full support for the early conclusion of agreements to facilitate the conduct of live firings and the cross-attendance of courses by officers of both armed forces.
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