NEW DELHI: India and Kazakhstan agreed to step up military cooperation, especially in the areas of defence production, as Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met her counterpart Nurlan Yermekbayev during her three-day visit to the central Asian country, a statement said on Thursday.
During her Kazakhstan visit, which commenced on October 2, Sitharaman also met Minister of Defence and Aerospace Industry Beibut Atamkulov.
They discussed a wide range of issues relating to defence and military technical cooperation and took stock of the progress of the bilateral relationship, especially in the defence sector.
The two countries had renewed the Memorandum of Cooperation on defence in January 2017. Both countries are ‘strategic partners’ since 2009.
“Smt Nirmala Sitharaman also discussed issues relating to defence production with the Minister for Defence and Aerospace Industry. In this connection, the possibilities of joint production and/or co-production were discussed based upon the relative strengths and experience of both sides. She also discussed regional developments with the Kazakhstan Foreign Minister Mr Kairat Abdrakhmanov,” the statement said. (AGENCIES)
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