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Mr Antony called on President Lee Myung-bak,
and the two leaders expressed satisfaction at
the sharp upward trajectory that the relationship
has taken following the visit of the South Korean
President to India in January this year when it
was decided to elevate the bilateral relationship
to a ‘strategic partnership’ encompassing
defence, trade and scientific research.
Mr Antony, who is the first Indian Defence Minister
ever to visit South Korea, had an intensive 90-minute
round of discussions with his host counterpart,
Mr Kim Tae-young. The two countries then signed
two landmark Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs)
to give a huge boost to their strategic partnership.
Mr Antony also called on Minister of Foreign Affairs
and Trade Yu Myung-hwan, and expressed satisfaction
at the close cooperation and shared visions of
the two countries. They exchanged views on anti-piracy,
disaster relief and other areas of mutual interest.
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In all the meetings, it was noted that India and
South Korea share common values and understanding
on issues of regional and global security.
At a luncheon hosted by South Korean Chief of
Naval Operations Admiral Kim Sung-Chan at Jinhae
Naval Base Sep 4, his last engagement in South
Korea before returning to New Delhi, he said that
the two MoUs were a “starting point”
in the bilateral relations, and these had the
potential to build on the strengths of the two
countries in numerous fields as also to help in
achieving peace and stability in not only the
Asia-Pacific but also in the Indian Ocean region.
The Indian Defence Minister visited several defence
establishments, including the 3rd Training Wing
of the Korean Air Force where he was given a detailed
brief on training by the Chief of the Air Staff
General Lee Kae-Hoon.
He witnessed an aerobatic display by a formation
of eight Golden Eagle T-50 aircraft, the training
of Korean pilots on a simulator and visited the
Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) assembly line
at Sacheon and a Destroyer of the Korean Navy.
KAI is the South Korean national aerospace company
established in 1999 with the consolidation of
Samsung Aerospace, Daewoo Heavy Industries, and
Hyundai Space and Aircraft Company (HYSA). It
manufactures civil and military aircraft and satellites.
Mr Antony’s high-power Indian delegation
included Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar, Deputy
Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Robin K Dhowan,
Lt Gen KT Parnaik, Distinguished Scientist and
Chief Controller in DRDO Dr Prahlada and Mr Sundaram
Krishna from the Ministry of Defence.
The first MoU signed by Mr Antony and Mr Kim envisages
exchange of defence related experience and information,
mutual exchange of visits by military personnel
and experts including civilian staff associated
with defence services, military education and
training and conduct of military exercises, exchange
of visits of ships and aircraft, as jointly decided
between the two countries. The MoU further envisages
cooperation in humanitarian assistance and international
peace keeping activities. The MoU will remain
valid for a period of five years with provision
for its extension by five more years.
The Second MoU was signed by the Chief Controller
of Research and Development of DRDO, Dr Prahlada
and Vice Commissioner, Defence Acquisition and
Procurement Agency (DAPA) of South Korea, Mr Kwon
Oh Bong. To be operational under the overarching
umbrella of India- South Korea Defence Agreement,
the MoU aims at identifying futuristic defence
technology areas of mutual interest and pursuing
R&D works in both the countries. It also envisages
co-development and co-production of defence products
with Indian industry through DRDO. There will
be joint IPR on all the products developed through
this mechanism. Some areas of immediate interest
e.g., marine systems, electronics and intelligent
systems have been identified as priority tasks.
Speaking at the meeting, Mr Antony said New Delhi
would be happy to see the defence industry relationship
to be more than a buyer-seller relationship and
its further evolution into Transfer of Technology,
joint production and joint R&D etc. He hoped
that ‘his visit will start a new chapter
in our already close relationship’.
Mr Kim said the two MoUs signed would provide
a win-win scenario for the two countries in a
number of areas.
The talks covered a wide range of security issues-
both regional and global.
Maritime Security
Mr Antony said India and South Korea share common
perception of maintaining peace as well as ensuring
safety and security of sea lanes of communication
in the region.
He said regular exchanges towards ensuring maritime
security is important to both countries, especially
in securing vital energy supplies that pass through
the Indian Ocean. “It is of particular importance
for like-minded countries working in the Gulf
of Aden to coordinate efforts and also exchange
information on the happenings in the area. We
look forward to continued and enhanced cooperation
between the navies of India and South Korea in
this regard.”
Regional Security
Scenario
Talking about the regional security scenario in
the Indian subcontinent, Mr Antony said we live
in a troubled neighbourhood. ‘”Some
call it a fragile region. We have to maintain
balance and restraint even in the face of grave
challenges to our security. Our intention is to
develop friendly and cooperative relations with
all our neighbours so that we can focus on our
major development needs.”
East Asian Architecture
Mr Antony said India looks at itself as an integral
part of East Asia. India is a founding member
of East Asia Summit and as such, looks at the
emerging architecture in East Asia as open and
inclusive. “That is why we welcome the decision
of ASEAN Foreign Ministers to move towards the
inclusion of the United States and Russia as members
of the East Asia Summit. We look forward to working
closely with South Korea in the emerging architecture
in this part of the world.”
Mr Antony along with the delegation drove down
to the National Cemetery in Seoul and laid a wreath
there. He also inspected, amid light drizzle,
a traditional colourful inter-services guard of
honour presented by the South Korean Armed Forces
on arrival at the Ministry of Defence Headquarters
Sep 2.
The author is Additional
Director General, Media, in the Ministry of Defence,
and was a Member of the Indian delegation
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