New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday held bilateral discussions with Belgium’s Minister of Defence and Foreign Trade Theo Francken in New Delhi, with the two sides reviewing the full range of bilateral defence and defence-industrial cooperation. The ministers agreed to further strengthen the partnership through regular defence dialogue, high-level exchanges, training initiatives and capacity-building programmes.
The meeting was held on September 3 on the sidelines of the talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever. Singh and Francken also discussed regional peace and security, including the growing importance of cooperation on maritime security in the Indo-Pacific. Both sides reaffirmed that India-Belgium relations are founded on shared values, mutual trust and respect.
The discussions assume significance as India steps up efforts to broaden defence partnerships with friendly countries, with greater emphasis on defence manufacturing, industrial cooperation, military training and capacity building alongside conventional areas of defence engagement.
In a separate development, Singh released ‘RAKSHA’, a comprehensive 10-year framework setting out India’s strategic vision and roadmap for defence diplomacy and global defence partnerships. The document seeks to provide a long-term and actionable framework for India’s international defence engagement, linking national security priorities with proactive international cooperation and further establishing defence diplomacy as an important pillar of India’s foreign policy.
The RAKSHA framework identifies four key areas of focus — strategic partnerships, capacity building, indigenous defence exports and maritime security. Under strategic partnerships, the framework envisages deeper bilateral and multilateral security cooperation, while the capacity-building pillar seeks to expand joint military exercises, training programmes and the exchange of operational best practices with friendly countries.
Promoting indigenous defence capabilities and exports is another major focus, with the framework emphasising Make in India in defence and seeking to position the country as a dependable global hub for defence manufacturing and exports.
Maritime security has also been accorded a prominent role, with the roadmap seeking to strengthen India’s position as a Net Security Provider and First Responder in the Indian Ocean Region. The framework aims to provide greater strategic direction to India’s defence diplomacy over the coming decade, with a focus on building durable partnerships, enhancing interoperability and addressing emerging security challenges.
The initiative comes as India seeks to expand its defence-industrial presence in international markets while simultaneously deepening strategic and security partnerships across the Indo-Pacific and the wider Indian Ocean region.
Chief of the Army Staff General Dhiraj Seth, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs, Rudrendra Tandon, Vice Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Vice Chief of the Naval Staff Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee Air Marshal Tejinder Singh, along with other senior officials from the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of External Affairs and National Security Council Secretariat, attended the event.
The India-Belgium defence engagement and the unveiling of the RAKSHA framework together reflect New Delhi’s broader effort to align bilateral defence partnerships with a comprehensive diplomatic strategy aimed at enhancing India’s role in the emerging global security architecture.
