Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar will hold crucial meetings with his counterparts from France and the U.S. on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore over the next two days.
He is scheduled to address the security summit on June 4 and then head to Vietnam on a two-day bilateral visit.
In his meeting with French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, the Minister will review the progress of negotiations for direct purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets. Mr. Parrikar said the “final knots are being tied” and negotiations would be concluded “very soon.”
Meanwhile, finalisation of the text of the Logistics Support Memorandum of Understanding is likely to figure in the Minister’s meeting with U.S. Defence Secretary Ashton Carter. Both sides announced in-principle understanding to conclude the pact during Mr. Carter’s visit to India in April.
Last week, Mr. Parrikar told The Hindu that the text of the agreement was being “exchanged for words and corrections.” The Defence Minister is scheduled to meet his counterparts from Singapore, Canada, Japan and Switzerland on the sidelines of the summit.
Visit to Vietnam
Mr. Parrikar is slated to visit Hanoi from June 5-6 where he will hold discussions with his Vietnamese counterpart Gen. Phùng Quang Thanh.
“The focus is to deepen the ongoing military cooperation,” a senior Defence Ministry official said.
