Defence Minister Ng Reaffirms Strong Defence Ties with Counterparts at 58th Munich Security Conference

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen (left) with French Minister of Armed Forces Florence Parly.

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen met French Minister of Armed Forces Florence Parly on the sidelines of the 58th Munich Security Conference (MSC)^[1]. Both sides reaffirmed the strong and broad-based defence relations between Singapore and France, and the two countries' commitment to strengthening bilateral defence cooperation in areas such as defence technology, counter-terrorism, cybersecurity and enhancing cooperation among our Armed Forces. Both sides also discussed regional security developments and discussed France's interest to participate as an observer to the Experts' Working Group under the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus framework.

Yesterday^[2], Dr Ng met India Minister of External Affairs Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. They reaffirmed the strong and long-standing bilateral relationship and discussed developments in the evolving regional security architecture. Dr Ng also expressed Singapore's commitment to facilitate a deeper partnership between ASEAN and India, as the country coordinator of the ASEAN-India dialogue relations.

Dr Ng also met Canadian Minister of Defence Anita Anand on the sidelines of the MSC. Both sides reaffirmed the warm and friendly defence relations between Singapore and Canada, and exchanged views on the political and security developments in Europe and the Asia-Pacific. Dr Ng expressed appreciation for Canada's support for the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF)'s and the Singapore Army's training in Canada. Both sides also discussed Canada's interest to participate as an observer to the Experts' Working Group under the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus framework.

In addition to the bilateral meetings with his foreign counterparts, Dr Ng attended discussion and policy dialogues with fellow MSC participants over meals hosted by various think tanks, including The Cohen Group.

^[1] Conducted annually in Germany since 1963, the MSC is a high-level security conference that brings together key foreign affairs and defence leaders from around the world. This will be the tenth time that Dr Ng is attending the MSC.

^[2] All dates indicated in the News Release are in Singapore Time.                

Dr Ng (right) with India Minister of External Affairs Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

Dr Ng (left) with Canadian Minister of Defence Anita Anand.