October 14, New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has called for building trust, respect for each-others sovereignty, follow international law and keep channels of dialogue open.

He said this while speaking at the inaugural session of the ASEAN–India Defence Think Tank Forum in New Delhi.He stressed that India attaches great importance to ASEAN-led platforms, like ADMM-Plus as they focus on strengthening cooperation and not creating competition between regional forums.

India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative is about building stronger domestic capabilities but self-reliance does not mean working in isolation. It can create opportunities for trusted partners to design, build, maintain and improve equipment together.