BENGALURU: Defence minister Rajnath Singh, who delivered the keynote address at the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) conclave organised as part of Aero India 2021, reiterated that India was ready to supply weapons to countries in the region.
Singh said as the largest nation in IOR – with a vast coastline of 7,500km – India has an active role to play for peaceful and prosperous co-existence of all countries. “Indian Ocean is a shared asset and a lifeline for international trade and transport due to its control of major sea lanes carrying half of the world’s container ships, one-third of its bulk cargo traffic and two-third of its oil shipments,” he said.
The defence minister added that the conclave is reflective of the importance India attaches to the vision of common growth and stability, and constructive engagements with partner countries. He said efforts are on to synergise resources in IOR, including defence industrial cooperation.
“Many IOR countries are becoming globally competitive and developing new technologies, including defence shipyards for design and shipbuilding, which can be jointly harnessed through regional cooperation efforts,” he said, adding that the Indian aerospace and defence industries present an attractive opportunity for foreign companies and the country was ready to supply different types of missile systems, helicopters, warships, patrol vessels, guns, tanks and radars.