Antony likely to visit Singapore in May
http://www.rxpgnews.com/india/Antony-likely-to-visit-Singapore-in-May_25135.shtml
By IANS, [RxPG] New Delhi, April 24 - Indian Defence Minister A.K.
Antony is likely to visit Singapore next month, the first time he
will be travelling abroad after assuming office six months
ago.
During the visit, Antony is likely to hold discussions on
concluding a memorandum of understanding - on ramping up military
cooperation between the two countries.
'The exact dates are yet to be finalised. An advance team is
currently in Singapore for this purpose,' an official told
IANS.
'The visit is likely in the third week of May,' the official
added.
A Singapore defence officer also confirmed that Antony would be
visiting the city-state.
The biennial International Maritime Defence Exhibition - is to be
held in Singapore May 15-19 but it was not immediately known
whether Antony would attend.
Two Indian Navy ships, the guided missile destroyer INS Mysore and
the guided missile corvette INS Kultar will participate in IMDEX to
showcase India's shipbuilding capabilities. The two ships are part
of a five-vessel Indian Navy flotilla that conducted a joint drill
with the Singapore Navy last month.
Indian Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta and his counterparts from
22 nations will attend IMDEX-2007.
India and Singapore have been conducting joint naval exercises for
the past 12 years. In 2005, they held their first joint army and
air force exercises with the Indian Army.
The month-long drill conducted in India involved some 500 Singapore
soldiers and half-a-dozen F-16 fighters of its air force.
Singapore hopes this cooperation can be institutionalised through
an MoU - and India has indicated its willingness for this.
'New areas of defence cooperation, including joint training
facilities are emerging and supplementing existing cooperation
between India and Singapore in the naval, maritime and
counter-terrorism spheres,' Pranab Mukherjee, the then Indian
defence minister, had said while addressing the annual security
conference of Singapore's International Institute for Strategic
Studies - last year.