India, S Korea sign five-year defence coop agreement

India, S Korea sign five-year defence coop agreement

India and South Korea on Friday entered into a five-year defence cooperation accord by signing two memorandums of understandings on sharing of military expertise and technology. Defence Minister A K Antony and his Korean counterpart Kim Tae-Young signed the two agreements in Seoul during the former's two-day official visit to South Korea. "Heralding a new chapter in the history of defence cooperation, India and South Korea today signed two landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to give a huge boost to the Strategic Partnership between the two countries," Defence Ministry spokesperson Sitanshu Kar said in a release from Seoul. After the signing of the agreements, Antony said New Delhi would be happy to see the defence industry relationship to be "more than a buyer-seller relationship" and its further evolution into Transfer of Technology, joint production and joint Research and Development. He expressed the hope that his visit would start a new chapter in the already close relationship between the two nations. Kim, in his address, said the two MoUs would provide a "win-win scenario" for the two countries in a number of areas. This was the first-ever visit of an India Defence Minister to South Korea. Antony is accompanied by a high-level delegation that includes Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar, Navy Vice Admiral R K Dhowan, Army Lieutenant General K T Parnaik, DRDO's Dr Prahlada and Adviser to Defence Minister Sundaram Krishna. Antony and Kim also discussed a wide range of security issues, both regional and global during their talks. Antony said India and South Korea shared common perception of maintaining peace as well as ensuring safety and security of sea lanes of communication in the region. He said regular exchanges towards ensuring maritime security was important to both countries, especially in securing vital energy supplies that pass through the Indian Ocean. "It is of particular importance for like-minded countries working in the Gulf of Aden to coordinate efforts and also exchange information on the happenings in the area. We look forward to continued and enhanced cooperation between the navies of India and South Korea in this regard," he said. Antony said India looked at itself as an integral part of East Asia. Earlier in the day, Antony, along with the delegation, visited the National Cemetery in Seoul and laid a wreath there, apart from inspecting a colourful inter-services guard of honour presented by the South Korean Armed Forces at the Ministry of Defence headquarters. (SS-03/09) source:India locals