India, Netherlands Boost Defence Cooperation: Rajnath Singh-Ollongren Talks

New Delhi, Feb 23 (PTI) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday held talks with his Dutch counterpart Kajsa Ollongren with a focus on boosting industrial defence cooperation.

In the meeting, Singh said Dutch original equipment manufacturers could be encouraged to integrate Indian vendors into their supply chains.

"Both ministers discussed the possibilities for expanding their bilateral defence cooperation, particularly in maritime and industrial domains," the defence ministry said.

"They noted the increased interaction between the two navies and expressed keenness to work together to enhance maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region," it said in a statement.

It said Singh suggested that Dutch original equipment manufacturers could be encouraged to integrate Indian vendors into their supply chains.

"India has developed a vibrant innovation and industrial ecosystem. Given the Indian and Dutch complementarities in skills, technology and scale, both sides were in agreement to encourage more interactions between the defence industries, and in high-tech sectors of semiconductors and clean energy," the ministry said in a statement.

Ollongren is in Delhi to attend the Raisina Dialogue.