INDIA TO PLAY BIGGER ROLE IN REGION'S PEACE AND STABILITY: DR NG

Singapore believes that India, as a rising power, can and should play a major role to promote peace, stability and progress for the region.

This point was made by Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen in his speech on Security Cooperation in a Changing Strategic Landscape, at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), India's premier think-tank on defence and security matters, on 20 Nov.

Addressing his audience which included members of IDSA and senior Indian defence and foreign affairs officials and academics, Dr Ng stressed that a cooperative and inclusive framework, allowing stakeholders to develop relationships based on trust and goodwill, was needed to respond to challenges arising from changing dynamics in the Asia Pacific region. He said in this aspect, India could and should play a bigger role in multinational forums like the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) - Plus and Shangri-La Dialogue.

"India's greater engagement of Southeast Asia, as it has done in the past, through meaningful multilateral engagement and a strong web of bilateral relationships, would also serve India's strategic and economic interests in the future," said Dr Ng.

Elaborating on the different aspects of the Singapore-India relationship, he said: "Ties between Singapore and India today are excellent on all fronts, from trade to culture, and to education and defence."

In particular, bilateral defence ties have strengthened, especially after the signing of the Defence Cooperation Agreement in 2003 . Dr Ng added that the armies and air forces of both countries train together on exercises such as Agni Warrior and Joint Military Training.

On trade between the two countries, Dr Ng noted that the amount had more than doubled what it was five years ago, and tripled since the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement, India's first-ever Free Trade Agreement, in 2005.

Dr Ng, who is in India for a two-day introductory visit, also met General Secretary of the Indian National Congress Rahul Gandhi, on 20 Nov.

Dr Ng's visit to India underscores the warm defence relations between Singapore and India. In July this year, both countries renewed the Bilateral Agreement for the Conduct of Joint Military Training and Exercises in India between the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and the Indian Air Force, allowing the RSAF to continue its joint military training at Kalaikunda Air Force Station for another five years.

22 Nov 12 UPDATE: On the second day of his visit to India, Dr Ng met Indian Defence Minister A K Antony for a delegation meeting, during which they reaffirmed the warm bilateral defence relations between the two countries and discussed defence cooperation at the bilateral and multilateral levels. He also called on the President of the Republic of India His Excellency Pranab Mukherjee and both sides reaffirmed the excellent and longstanding bilateral relations between the two countries. The two exchanged views on international and regional security developments and reaffirmed the role that both sides could play in forging regional peace and stability. Dr Ng also met National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon.