India, Mongolia to set up Joint Working Group on Defence
Dated 7/12/2005
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New Delhi: Celebrating fifty years of diplomatic relations, India and Mongolia today agreed to upgrade defence cooperation in training and explore collaboration in other areas.
The two countries decided to establish an India-Mongolia Joint Working Group to work out details of cooperation in the field of defence, including holding regular joint exercises. The Second India-Mongolia Joint Exercise is being held over the next ten days at the Counter-Insurgency Jungle Warfare School (CIJWS) at Vairangte, Mizoram.
Visiting Mongolian Defence Minister T S Sharavdorj will witness the Vairangte exercise of the Mongols, according to an official spokesman here.
The visiting Minister met Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee here where both discussed bilateral issues.
Earlier in the day, the visiting dignitary was given a ceremonial Guard of Honour on his arrival at Defence Headquarters. Defence Secretary Shekhar Dutta and other senior officers of the Armed Forces and Ministry of Defence called on him.
The Mongolian Defence Minister also visited the Centre for UN Peacekeeping at the United Services Institution here.
The visit of the Mongolian Defence Minister coincides with the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries on December 24, 1955. Since then, there has been an all-round improvement in cooperation between India and Mongolia in the fields of agriculture, commerce, trade, culture, science and technology and defence.
The two countries signed the Agreement on Defence Cooperation in 2001 and since then defence ties between the two have moved forward in the fields of training, bilateral visits and joint exercises-- the first joint exercise was held in Mongolia in October last year.
During his weeklong stay in India, the visiting Minister will also visit Bodh Gaya.
