Defence Minister hosts Indian Ocean Region plus Defence Ministers’ Conclave on the sidelines of DefExpo 2022.

October 20, 2022

Indian Ocean Region plus (IOR) Defence Ministers’ Conclave was hosted by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at the sidelines of DefExpo 2022 in Gandhinagar.
The conclave was attended by representatives of 40 countries. The conclave aims to promote strategic and commercial partnerships within the IOR countries, in line with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR).
The theme of the conclave was ‘Challenges Opportunities and Collaborations in the Indian Ocean.
Delivering the keynote address, Mr. Rajnath Singh described the Prime Minister’s vision of SAGAR as the theme of New Delhi’s Indian Ocean Policy. Giving the example of adverse impact on the energy and food security for the most vulnerable countries due to the recent Ukrainian conflict, Mr. Singh called for collective efforts towards addressing the present and emerging threats to security & stability in the IOR.
Singh urged the IOR countries to leverage the R&D ecosystem created by the Government in India for the mutual benefit for all. He said, with the right policies and framework, India is poised to be a global R&D hub. He also held bilateral meetings with delegation leaders from Bangladesh, Angola, South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo and Paraguay.
Also, the second edition of India-Africa Defence Dialogue (IADD) was held on the sidelines of DefExpo 2022. The dialogue saw the participation of representatives from 50 African countries. Gandhinagar declaration was adopted as an outcome of IADD.
The India-Africa Security fellowship programme was also launched to provide an opportunity to African scholars to pursue research on defence and security issues in India.