Kuala Lumpur, November 1, 2025 — Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a series of bilateral meetings with the Defence Ministers of New Zealand, South Korea, and Vietnam on the sidelines of the 12th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus), underscoring India’s continued efforts to build a robust and cooperative security framework in the Indo-Pacific region.
Singh met New Zealand’s Defence Minister Judith Collins and extended an invitation for her to visit India, emphasizing the shared vision of a forward-looking defence partnership. “Glad to meet New Zealand’s Defence Minister Judith Collins in Kuala Lumpur. I extended her the invitation to visit India. Her visit will reaffirm the shared vision of India and New Zealand to build a forward-looking partnership in defence,” he shared on X.
During his meeting with South Korea’s Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back, Singh described the discussion as “a delight,” reflecting the steady growth of India–South Korea defence cooperation, particularly in technology exchange and joint production.
Singh also met Vietnam’s Defence Minister Phan Van Giang, reaffirming the deep and historic defence relationship between the two countries, both key stakeholders in ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.
These high-level engagements took place as part of India’s broader participation in the ADMM-Plus, a key forum bringing together ASEAN nations and their dialogue partners to discuss regional defence and security collaboration. The 12th edition marks 15 years of ADMM-Plus, and Singh will address the forum on “Reflection on 15 years of ADMM-Plus and Charting the Way Forward.”
The ADMM-Plus serves as the premier consultative and cooperative mechanism within ASEAN, comprising Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam, along with eight dialogue partners — India, the US, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.
India, a dialogue partner since 1992, currently co-chairs the Experts’ Working Group on Counter-Terrorism with Malaysia for the 2024–2027 cycle, further reinforcing its leadership in promoting regional peace, stability, and multilateral cooperation.
The Impressive Times
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