Close and historical ties’: Rajnath Singh to host India-Africa Defence Dialogue
India-Africa Defence Dialogue will be hosted by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in conjunction with DefExpo 2022. The event will be held on October 18.
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Defence on Sunday, it has been said that Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister of India, will host the Defence Ministers of African Nations during the IADD (India-Africa Defence Dialogue) on October 18. The dialogue will be held at the 12th DefExpo in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The broad theme for IADD is ‘India-Africa: Adopting Strategy for Synergising and Strengthening Defence and Security Cooperation’.
“India and Africa share close and historical ties”: Defence Ministry Statement
As outlined by Africans themselves, India’s engagement in Africa rests on priorities of Africa, the statement noted. “India and Africa share close and historical ties. India’s approach towards Africa is guided by the Kampala Principles enunciated by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in 2018,” the statement said.
In Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, on February 6, 2020, the first-ever India-Africa Defence Ministers Conclave was held. The conclave was in conjunction with DefExpo. At the end of the conclave, as an outcome document, a Joint Declaration – ‘Lucknow Declaration’ – was adopted.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had then expressed his thoughts on India-Africa relations through a tweet. The tweet read: “We are connected by our ancient maritime links and our colonial past and looking forward, we are united in our quest for peace, security, and stability and economic growth.”
The IAAD to be held once every two years
In consultation with stakeholders, and in continuance of the ‘Lucknow Declaration’, it has been institutionalised that the India-Africa Defence Dialogue be held every two years on the sidelines of DefExpo.
The India-Africa Defence Dialogue will explore new areas of convergence for mutual engagement, including in areas like- training, maritime security, capacity building, counter-terrorism and cyber security. The knowledge partner for the India-Africa Defence Dialogue is MP-IDSA (Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses).
India’s defence cooperation with Africa dates back to 1956 when Emperor Haile Selassie requested the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to open its overseas training institution in Africa. India has also extended its support towards Africa in its anti-terrorism and cybersecurity efforts.
