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‘India does not believe in hierarchical world order’: Rajnath Singh at IADD
Addressing the India-Africa Defence Dialogue (IADD) on the sidelines of DefExpo 2022, defence minister Rajnath Singh said India does not believe in making or becoming a client or satellite State
India does not believe in a hierarchical world order where a few countries are considered superior to others, defence minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday adding that the country’s international relations are guided by the very essence of human equality and dignity, which is a part of its ancient ethos.
“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,” Singh said while delivering the keynote address at the India-Africa Defence Dialogue (IADD) on the sidelines of DefExpo 2022 in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar on Tuesday.
IADD was institutionalised to be held biennially during successive DefExpos. Fifty African countries, including 20 defence ministers, seven chief of defence staff/service chiefs and eight permanent secretaries, participated in the dialogue attesting to the high priority accorded to India-Africa engagement in defence and security, according to a media statement by the defence ministry.
The Union minister defined the theme of IADD, ‘Adopting Strategy for Synergizing and Strengthening Defence and Security Cooperation’, as the underlying commitment of India and African countries to explore new areas of convergence for defence engagements. This include capacity building, training, cyber security, maritime security and counter terrorism. He termed India and African countries as important stakeholders in ensuring a safe and secure maritime environment, especially in the Indian Ocean Region.
“I am sure that you also share our belief that the global world order deserves to be democratised further. The world’s multilateral forums should be reflective of the change in global realities,” he said.
IADD 2022 has showcased to the African nations the growing prowess of the domestic defence industry, which is one of the major drivers of the nation’s resolve to achieve ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ as envisioned by the Prime Minister, the defence minister said. This interaction is expected to help fulfilling the Defence requirements for our African partners as also achieving the objective of catering to our domestic requirements, he added.
“India remains united with African countries in their quest for peace, security, stability, growth and prosperity. India’s partnership with Africa is centered on the 10 guiding principles articulated by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi during his address to the parliament of Uganda in 2018,” Rajnath Singh said.
“India and African countries are important stakeholders in ensuring a safe and secure maritime environment, especially in the Indian Ocean Region. We work together in many regional mechanisms... Over the years, India has contributed immensely to the United Nations peacekeeping operations in Africa. It is amongst the top three countries, contributing troops for UN peacekeeping, and has participated in most of the UN peacekeeping operations in the region,” Singh said in his address.
“We believe peace, security and development are inter-related. Security is essential for enabling development in the region. As India continues to enhance its defence manufacturing capabilities, I invite African countries to explore Indian defence equipment and technologies,” he added.
DefExpo 2022 is set to be the biggest defence exhibition till date with 75 countries participating in it. The 12th edition of the event, which has been organised on the theme ‘Path to Pride’, is also the first-ever edition exclusively for Indian companies. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the ceremony on Wednesday.
