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COVER STORY

COVER STORYNavy

7th India–Vietnam Coast Guard High-Level Meeting in Chennai

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India–Vietnam Coast Guard

New Delhi: The 7th High-Level Meeting (HLM) between the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and Vietnam Coast Guard (VCG) was held in Chennai on August 25, 2026 under the framework of the 2015 Memorandum of Understanding on Coast Guard Cooperation.

The meeting was co-chaired by Director General Paramesh Sivamani, Director General, Indian Coast Guard, and Major General Luong Dinh Hung, Vice Commandant, Vietnam Coast Guard.

The discussions focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation in key areas including Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR), Maritime Law Enforcement, Marine Pollution Response and capacity building. Both sides reviewed ongoing bilateral engagements, including professional exchanges and ship visits, and reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing cooperation and interoperability.

The two Coast Guards emphasised the importance of regular institutional interactions, training programmes, professional exchanges, sharing of best practices and ship visits to further strengthen mutual trust, coordination and operational cooperation.

The HLM reaffirmed the shared commitment of India and Vietnam to work together in the spirit of friendship and cooperation towards promoting maritime safety, security and environmental sustainability in the region.

As part of the ongoing bilateral engagement, the India-Vietnam Coast Guard Joint Exercise, SAHYOG-HOPTAC, is scheduled to be conducted at sea on 27 August 2026. The exercise will provide an opportunity for both Coast Guards to enhance operational coordination, strengthen interoperability and exchange best practices.

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COVER STORYMILITARY

Defence Secretary concludes two-day visit to Armenia

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Defence Secretary visit to Armenia

New Delhi: Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh visited Armenia from August 17-18, 2026. During the visit, he held bilateral meetings with Deputy Defence Minister of Armenia, Mr Karen Brutyan, and First Deputy Defence Minister and Chief of General Staff of Armenia, Mr Edward Asryan.

The discussions covered the entire gamut of ongoing defence and military technical cooperation, with particular emphasis on capacity building, training, military technical cooperation and defence research and development (R&D). The two sides also exchanged the Terms of Reference for institutionalising Joint Services Staff Talks between the Indian and Armenian Armed Forces.

The Defence Secretary called on Mr Davit Tradevosyan, Minister of Hi-tech Industry of Armenia, and exchanged views on proposals relating to defence research and development. Coinciding with the visit, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two Defence Ministries to expand cooperation in the fields of joint collaboration, innovation and research was concluded and signed.

Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh also called on Mr Suren Papikyan, Minister of Defence of Armenia. During the meeting, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen India-Armenia defence cooperation and discussed new avenues for enhancing cooperation in military technical cooperation.

As part of the visit, the Defence Secretary visited the Armenian Military Academy named after Vazgen Sargasyan and interacted with the Head and faculty members of the Academy. During his visit to the IT Lab at the Academy, established with Indian assistance, he underlined the vital role of capacity building and training as an important pillar of India-Armenia defence cooperation.

The Defence Secretary had a fruitful meeting with Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia, Mr Mnatsakan Safaryan, in Yerevan. The discussions focused on the expanding defence partnership between India and Armenia. As Armenia seeks to diversify its defence procurement, India has emerged as a major partner in military technical cooperation. Both countries share similar views on multilateralism and strategic autonomy.

The visit demonstrated the increasing congruence of views between India and Armenia on bilateral, regional and global issues, besides reaffirming the firm commitment of both sides to take the already robust bilateral defence partnership to the next level.

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