India, Rwanda hold defence cooperation committee meeting

New Delhi: India and Rwanda held the first edition of Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC) meeting in Rwandan capital Kigali, an official statement said on Friday.

The JDCC was to discuss a wide range of opportunities to enhance defence cooperation between the two countries, the Defence Ministry statement said, adding that the detailed discussions were held in areas like training cooperation, joint military exercises, defence industrial cooperation etc.

The Indian delegation highlighted the growing prowess of Indian defence manufacturers to export to friendly countries, while the Rwandan side evinced keen interest in augmenting training cooperation, expressing confidence in the growing capabilities of the Indian defence industry.

It also highlighted areas where the Indian armed forces and industry could collaborate with their defence forces under the aegis of the Defence MoU signed between the two countries during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Rwanda in 2018.

Earlier the Indian delegation called on Rwanda Defence Minister, Marizamunda Juvenal and conveyed the warm greetings of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

The Indian delegation was led by Joint Secretary Amitabh Prasad and included senior officials from the Ministry of Defence and the Indian Armed Forces. The Charge d’Affaires in the Indian mission in Kigali, Nilratan Mridha also attended the meeting.

The Defence Ministry said that bilateral relations between India and Rwanda have been cordial and have grown steadily over the years.