Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will attend the 12th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting – Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on the 1st of November. Mr Singh will address the forum on ‘Reflection on 15 years of ADMM-Plus and Charting the Way Forward’. During his two-day visit, the Defence Minister is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from the participating ADMM-Plus nations as well as the senior leadership from Malaysia. ADMM-Plus is held annually to bolster the defence cooperation among ASEAN and countries.

The Defence Ministry, in a statement, informed that under the construct of ADMM-Plus, India is the co-chair of the Experts Working Group on Counter Terrorism with Malaysia for the cycle 2024-2027. On the sidelines, the second edition of ASEAN-India Defence Ministers’ Informal Meeting, under the chairmanship of Malaysia, will be held on the 31st of this month.

The meeting will witness the participation of Defence Ministers from all ASEAN member countries. It aims to further strengthen defence and security cooperation among ASEAN member states and India and advance the ‘Act East Policy’. ADMM-Plus is a platform for ASEAN member states and their eight Dialogue Partners to strengthen security and defence cooperation.